An illegal immigrant has limited options when it comes to gaining permanent residency or become a U.S citizen. This article outlines some of the available options for your information.
When getting through the borders without the intention to provide any legal document is illegal. Staying inside the United States without any document to prove your current status or when you violate the terms of your legal entry will turn you into an illegal.
The U.S. laws have very limited options that can change your status from an illegal or undocumented to a permanent citizen of the United States. Here are some of the few possibilities which you can discuss with an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles.
Marry a U.S. Citizen
Marrying a U.S. citizen, not for the “papers” but genuinely quickly transforms you into an “immediate relative according to the U.S. immigration laws. As an immediate relative, you are eligible for the green card after the application process. For you to realize this, make sure that you do not have issues with the current illegal status.
Serve in the U.S. Army
Serving the United States Army honorably on active duty in many of the wars or conflict the country is involved in, you are allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship. This application does not include the steps followed when applying for the green card.
Enlisting for the army must take place within the U.S. territory. For example American Samoa, Canal Zone, on a U.S. military ship or in the Swains Island.
Cancellation of Removal
If you have been a state guest in the United States prison, you can get your green card as long as proving the facts below is true:
- You have been physically present in the United States for more than ten years
- Your conduct has been excellent in those ten years
- Your extradition from the U.S. may lead to unusual hardship to a spouse, child or parent any of which is a citizen or was made a lawfully permanent resident
- You have not been disqualified from cancellation because you haven’t committed immigration violations.
- Do not attempt to make an application for your removal unless you are in a court facing deportation. At this point, make contact with an immigration lawyer to help.
Seek Asylum
Application for the right to stay in the U.S. is an option if you qualify for asylum. Make the application within a year of your entry into the country or after the expiration of your stay.
You will need to prove signs of persecution in your home country based on nationality, religion, race, political opinion, or membership of a group. During the process, you must prove your point by submitting U.S. citizenship an Immigration Services (USCIS) form alongside matching evidence proving persecution.
Temporary Protected Status
If you entered the U.S. directly from a country involved in a civil war or some natural disasters that make it unsafe for your return. The U.S. government might offer a Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The TPS would allow you to stay for a maximum of 18 months and get a work permit while in the country.
