Macon, GA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Generally, when he becomes an adult, a U.S. citizen may apply for his parent to receive immigration benefits. A careful analysis of your removal/deportation would be required in order to assess your future eligibility to be the subject of a family-based application and to be able to return to the U.S. Aside from the express terms of any court order for removal/deportation, many people who overstay their visa become subject to a 3-year bar to re-entering the U.S. (if they were unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 180 days but less than 1 year), or to a very harsh 10-year bar (if they were unlawfully present for more than 1 year). There is no substitute for having an immigration attorney carefully review all the details of your situation in order to be able to advise about immigration eligibilities, options and strategies.

Generally, one first must become a Lawful Permanent Resident (get a "Green Card") before becoming eligible to petition to become a naturalized citizen. The naturalization process requires an applicant to have been a Permanent Resident for five years before becoming eligible; the period is three years for certain spouses of U.S. Citizens. An applicant may file the petition 90 days before reaching the 5-year or 3-year mark. If your mother has been living in the U.S. for 20 years, it will be important to carefully review her situation before applying for Permanent Resident status. It would be wise for her to review her situation with an immigration attorney to assess eligibility. Some immigration law firms, including mine, offer legal services on a "flat fee" basis so that a client will know the total expense from the very beginning, and a few immigration law firms, including mine, offer an initial consultation free of charge.

Generally, the criminal arrest/conviction history of a U.S. citizen is irrelevant in connection with her sponsoring a spouse for a marriage-based adjustment of status application.