Muskegon, MI Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

You will still need to submit an affidavit of support and your tax return(s) even if you are currently on unemployment benefits. To ensure that your wife's case is processed without any delay, you should probably look for a joint sponsor.

You cannot apply for citizenship until 3 months before the 5th anniversary of your U.S. permanent residence (unless you are applying under one of the special provisions - as a spouse of a U.S. citizen living together with that spouse; or as a person granted permanent residence because of battering or extreme cruelty; or as a person honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces). Your conviction might make you ineligible for citizenship because of the requirement to demonstrate that you were "a person of good moral character" during the period of your permanent residency. The misdemeanor charge to which you pleaded guilty might be a "crime of moral turpitude"; if it is, your application for naturalization will be denied, and USCIS will likely start removal proceedings against you. I suggest that you discuss your conviction with an immigration attorney to find out whether your conviction is for a crime of moral turpitude, and, if it is, if you should try to reopen you criminal case and set aside the conviction, or simply postpone filing your naturalization application until 5 years pass since your conviction.