Imagine this: You get to see your mom every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm and only your fingertips can touch through the steel fence. Is she imprisoned? No, actually friends tell you that you are one of the lucky ones to be able to see your mom at Friendship Park on the weekends. Friendship Park is a bi-national beach park, located on the US-Mexico border in San Diego-Tijuana. Families who are separated due to immigration issues are known to travel long distances to meet at Friendship Park to see loved ones.
Living in the United States as an undocumented immigrant is a risk that approximately 11 million people take daily. Why do people take this risk? While reasons vary, one contributing factor is that before President Trump took office, ICE agents generally would not deport an individual unless they had a criminal record, posing a threat to society. However, 2017 has seen an aggressive change to deportations resulting in many being deported who have no criminal record.
What is the process an individual can take to change his or her status to avoid the situation families who meet at Friendship Park find themselves in? One possible solution is to apply for a Green Card.
Although not everyone may qualify to apply for LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident), there are different categories of eligibility. They include family, employment, refugee or asylum, registry, victims of abuse, human trafficking and crime victims, special immigrant and other.
More specifically, eligibility through family is available to immediate relatives (parents, son, daughters, spouses and sibling) of U.S. citizens. Lawful permanent residents can also petition for their spouses and certain son and daughters. The spouse category includes widow(er)s and individuals in same sex marriages.
Whether a child is eligible to apply is determined by factors like age (under or over 21) and marital status. Stepchildren, adopted children, and orphans may also to be eligible to apply, but qualification depends on whether or not they met certain criteria, like being born in or out of wedlock.
Are you or a member of your family among the 11 million people living in the U.S. who now live in fear of deportation? Is there family member who would be able to sponsor you? Or do you qualify to sponsor a family member? Take the first step and call us at 917-300-3334 or reach out to us online to talk to a knowledgeable immigration lawyer. The Claro Law Firm knows family based petitions and our immigration attorneys serve Westchester County, including Mount Kisco, Valhalla, New Rochelle and Yonkers, New York. Se, habla Espanol.
We help our clients attain peace of mind, eliminating the possibility they would be in the position of other families who are divided in two countries. Do not delay, contact us immediately.