Historically, governments around the world claim the right to control entry into their sovereign territory, and under what conditions, and how long and for what purposes foreign visitors may stay. In the United States, this right is solely the domain of the Federal Government. States have attempted to make changes within their own borders, but the courts have long held that state laws which supersede federal immigration law are unconstitutional.
The most recent notable case in this regard is the U S Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case, Arizona v. United States, decided in 2012, in which the state of Arizona attempted to make various immigration violations a crime under Arizona state law. The portions of the law which dealt with immigrants carrying required immigration papers and having state law enforcement arrest those without such identification were struck down by the U S Supreme Court. The court reaffirmed the rights of the U S Federal Government exclusively to determine and enforce immigration laws within the United States.
Since immigration is a federal matter, lawyers in any state of the United States can assist with your immigration case. If you are not currently living in the U.S. and need assistance with visas, green cards, or are seeking asylum; or if you are living in the U.S. and are dealing with a deportation order, or wish to adjust your immigration status, or help family members join you here, among other immigration issues, we can help you. How can our firm help you with immigration to the U.S.? There are many areas where we can assist. We will highlight a few of those areas. If your immigration issue is not listed below, please call (702) 213-9779, or come to our office at 801 S. 4 th Street in Las Vegas and we can evaluate your case quickly and let you know whether or how we can help you.
Deportation – If you have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or have overstayed a VISA or otherwise fear that you may be deported, our lawyers can assist with representing you with the immigration court. Deportation is a civil proceeding, therefore being represented by a lawyer is optional is such proceedings. It has been found that no more than 37% of those facing deportation are represented by an attorney, however, those that are represented are 4 times more likely to succeed in proving that they have a legal right to stay in the U.S. Our lawyers can represent you in your deportation hearings and can appeal orders of deportation with the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Visa Application/Renewal – There are roughly 200 different visas to allow extended stays in the U.S. to work, to study at a university, or to visit or live with family. Work visas require U.S. based employers to sponsor immigrant workers. Student visas require that students have been accepted into a program of study at a university or vocational school. Visa applications usually take several months to process. Our lawyers can select from the various visa types for the visa that matches your situation. We then complete the application and file it for you. We can also assist with filing paperwork for an expired or soon to be expired visa to extend your legal right to stay in the U.S.
Legal Permanent Residency/Green Card – If you are outside the U.S., Green Cards may be applied for in your home country. This is called consular processing. A U.S. employer or family member may sponsor you in such cases and the process may take up to six months. If you are in the U.S. and wish to seek Legal Residency status the process is known as Adjustment of Status and may take up to 1 year. Our attorneys can assist with the application process and will file to papers and follow up if USCIS required additional information to complete the process. Family Immigration – If you are a U.S. citizen, or have established Legal Permanent Residency you may sponsor non-citizen immediate family members, which are a spouse and unmarried children. This requires approval from USCIS, and the process may take up to a year. We can assist with applications and filing of necessary paperwork.
Citizenship Applications – After living in the U.S. as a Legal Permanent Resident for 3 to 5 years you may make application for U.S. citizenship. Once the application is processed, you will be required to submit to an interview with a USCIS official and take a test which requires some proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking in English. The test also includes 100 questions on American history and government. Once you pass the test, you will take part in a naturalization ceremony in which the Oath of Allegiance is administered. We can assist with the application process to confirm that all paper work is filled out completely and correctly and submit to USCIS.
The Richard Harris Law Firm provides legal representation for immigrants
Immigration Law is a dynamic ever-changing area of legal practice. Hiring an attorney to represent you in such matters increases your probability of success many times over attempting to do it yourself. If you wish to immigrate to the U.S. or are currently in-country and need to adjust status, renew a visa, gain assistance to bring your family here among other immigration matters, call us today to discuss your situation. We want to help you stay. Come into our office at 801 S 4 th Street or call us at (702) 213-9779 for an evaluation of your case.
Learn More
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/access-counsel-immigration-court
https://www.uscis.gov
