Why Go for US Citizenship

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Part 4

US Citizenship

Welcome to the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram. We’re delighted to have you join us for part four in our series of video presentations on US Citizenship.  In this presentation, we’re going conclude our discussion on US Citizenship and we hope that you will be inspired to contact us so we can get you started as quickly as possible.

In summary, as long as you’ve remained outside the US for more than six months during your qualifying period, and during your qualifying period you’ve spent at least half that time in the US, you should be in good shape. However, we still have to examine any other bars to US Citizenship, as outlined in the previous presentations.

Why Go for US Citizenship if You Already Have a Green Card? – There are many benefits associated with US Citizenship. Let’s start with a few positive reasons. If you’re a green card holder who has an alien fiancé (e), you can sponsor them only when you get married and even then, the wait time can be up to two years.  As a US Citizen, you can sponsor your fiancé (e) as a fiancée, and when they come over, you can marry and obtain a green card for them in a matter of 4-6 months.

As a green card holder you cannot sponsor your alien parents or siblings. Giving your family members the gift of green card status is an awesome thing, even though the wait time for a sibling is nearly a decade, it’s less than one year to sponsor parents. Your siblings may be able to come to the US for a few years on a non-immigrant visa, while your petition for their green cards could be processed over the longer term.

We are hoping that in the next much talked about, Comprehensive Immigration Reform round, that all waiting times for sibling green cards will have dramatically reduced since the annual quotas, (the pace at which green cards are made available), will be increased. These and other quotas have not increased many years.

Protecting Yourself from Deportation – Occasionally, we hear from people who have found themselves at risk of being deported and thus risk the futures of their entire family. Most people are law-abiding but every once in a while things can go wrong. For example, you might be at a party and have too much to drink without realizing it, and get involved in a serious road traffic accident and cause grievous injury to others. Depending on whether or not this was your first or second time, and the seriousness of the injuries caused to others, you could be in real jeopardy of deportation.

Being on the cell phone or texting while driving or even running a red light that resulted in harm to others could have very serious criminal consequences, which in turn could jeopardize your right to stay in the US. Many of our clients have children, and even young kids can do inappropriate things, such as getting a fake ID in order to buy alcohol, or get caught experimenting with drugs, petty theft and the like, and before you know it they’re at risk of being deported. If your child gets deported it may cause the whole family to have to return too, if that child is a dependent in some way.

You do not have to commit a crime to lose your green card status. Simply leaving the US for more than a year, if not handled properly, could cause you to lose your green card. If you are a US Citizen you cannot be deported. Whatever punishment you may be subject to criminally, once you’ve completed your sentence; you can resume your life in the US like any other US Citizen. Our advice is quite simple. If you’ve held your green card for the qualifying period you should really think about applying for US Citizenship.  In doing so, you are insuring your family completely from the threat of deportation.

It’s fair to say that very few of our clients have ever had their home burned down or even know anyone who has lost their home due to fire or flood – it’s extremely rare. Yet each year we all pay out hundreds of dollars a year in home insurance premiums to protect ourselves from this rare possibility. Applying for US Citizenship when you’re eligible is just like that – it’s the right thing to do. Many people think that if they apply for US Citizenship it would mean they’d have to give up their own citizenship. The truth is for most countries in the world, dual citizenship is possible. There are a few countries out there where this isn’t the case, we can certainly check for you.

I hope you have enjoyed our video presentation on US Citizenship and that you feel more informed about the issues involved. When you’re ready to move forward, please contact us for a consultation and we’d be delighted to assess you for eligibility. Bearing this in mind, we look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
401 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor,
[Cross Streets 4th and Wilshire]
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292

Specializing in the E2 Visa, EB1 Green Card, L-1A Visa and O1 Visa and K1 Visa Marriage-Based Immigration. Attorney Chris M. Ingram is dedicated to providing the very best in US Immigration legal representation. Enjoy our website.

Important Notice: Please note that all videos created by the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram are intended as general information only and not specific legal advice pertaining your case. If you would like specific legal advice on any immigration matter please do not hesitate to contact this law office accordingly. All pictorial images used in these videos and the website in general are licensed stocked images and not portraits, or otherwise, of anyone from the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram, nor of its clients unless otherwise indicated by name. All images are used solely for illustrative purposes only. Copyright 2010-2015 All Rights Reserved.