Immigration Lawyers in Mesquite, Texas
Citizenship, Visas and More
United States immigration law can be complicated – and for that reason, many people turn to a Mesquite immigration lawyer for help.
Whether you’re interested in coming to the U.S. to visit, work or live, or if you’d like to bring foreign talent into your Mesquite-area business, you may need to talk to an attorney who understands the law and how it applies to you.
WHY CHOOSE DAVIS & ASSOCIATES
- Mr. Davis is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
- (Our motto is "Families, not Files" because when you do business with us, you are not just another case file.)
- Our staff is multi-lingual and many of us have experienced the immigration process with our families and friends.
Capt Jacob Pradeep Immanuel
Working with Immigration Lawyers in Mesquite, TX
Working with an immigration attorney is a smart choice if you’re unfamiliar with U.S. immigration law, whether you’re simply coming to the United States for an extended stay, you want to get a green card that lets you live and work anywhere in the country, or you want to become a U.S. citizen.
Additionally, it’s a smart choice if you’re running a U.S.-based business that needs to bring in foreign workers; business immigration in the United States is notoriously complex and requires employers to meet very specific criteria before allowing them to hire non-U.S. residents or citizens.
Nearly anyone who wishes to come to the United States needs a visa. A visa is a special document that gives you permission to enter the country, and you must apply for it before you begin your trip to the United States.
There are several types of visas available, but they fall into these categories:
- Immigrant visas that eventually lead to permanent residency (and citizenship, if you wish)
- Visitor visas for tourism
- Visitor visas for business
- Fiancé visas that enable you to marry a U.S. citizen and live in the United States
- Student visas
- Business and professional visas for citizens of Mexico and Canada
- Transit visas that allow you to travel through the United States on your way to another country
Many people who wish to obtain permanent residency and get a green card in the U.S. do so through immigrant visas, though some people are eligible to apply for residency based on their employment or investment in a U.S. business.
Immigrant visas are typically available to the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. If your spouse, parent or child is a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible for an immediate relative visa or a family preference visa. Likewise, if your spouse or parent is a lawful permanent resident, you may be eligible for a family preference visa.
Visas for Family Members of U.S. Citizens
You likely qualify for an immediate relative visa if you’re the spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21, or parent (provided that your child is over the age of 21) of a U.S. citizen. If you are an unmarried child over the age of 21, the married child of any age, or the sibling of a U.S. citizen, you may qualify for a family preference visa to come to the United States. Your own children may also qualify.
Visas for Family Members of Lawful Permanent Residents
If you’re the spouse or unmarried child of a lawful permanent resident, you (and your children) may qualify for a family preference visa to come to the United States.
Family Immigration Visa & Green Cards to Apply For:
Helpful Family Immigration Articles:
5 Things To Understand About Family Immigration Law
4 Ways To Obtain A Green Card Through Marriage
What Happens If You Get Divorced After Receiving A Green Card?
A green card is a form that you get when you become a lawful permanent resident of the United States.
It’s a wallet-sized card that enables you to live and work anywhere you wish in the U.S., and you need the lawful permanent resident status it denotes if you choose to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Not everyone is eligible for lawful permanent residency. In fact, green cards are only offered to people who:
- Have certain family members who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
- Are employed in some capacities
- Have invested a certain amount of money in a U.S. business
- Have special immigrant status
- Are victims of human trafficking or certain other crimes
- Are refugees or asylees
- Are victims of abuse
- Fall into other, special categories
- Are eligible through registry, which means they’ve lived continuously in the United States since January of 1972 and meet other criteria
Many people choose to work with a green card lawyer in Mesquite for help through the process, which often entails changing a temporary visa status into lawful permanent residency. You must submit documentation that supports your case, as well as fill out and file specific forms (and pay the fees associated with those forms) in order to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States; your immigration attorney can handle all of that on your behalf.
Citizenship and Naturalization in Mesquite, Texas
In order to become a naturalized U.S. citizen with all the same rights and responsibilities that natural-born citizens have, you must first be a lawful permanent resident for a specific period of time. To gain U.S. citizenship, you must:
- Be over the age of 18
- Be a green card holder for at least 5 years (less if you’re married to a U.S. citizen)
- Demonstrate that you’ve lived in the U.S. continuously for 5 years at the time of your application
- Prove that you’ve been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of the preceding 5 years
- Be a person of good moral character
- Pass the citizenship test
- Respect and adhere to the U.S. Constitution’s principles and ideals
- Be willing to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States
You must also fill out and file extensive paperwork, attend citizenship interviews, and give the U.S. government your biometric data (such as fingerprints). Your Mesquite immigration attorney can help you with the paperwork and advise you on your immigration interviews, the citizenship test and more.
Helpful Articles
Business Immigration Services Through a Mesquite Immigration Attorney
Many companies need to bring in foreign workers, but the U.S. government doesn’t make it a simple process. Businesses must fill out and file several forms, prove that they can pay workers a sustainable wage, and meet certain criteria before they’re permitted to hire foreign talent – and for that reason, most businesses choose to work with an immigration attorney who can help.
Your Mesquite business immigration lawyer can ensure that you’re on the right side of U.S. immigration law (and that your business meets all the appropriate criteria) to hire foreign workers.
Workers must generally be sponsored by an employer in the United States who applies on their behalf. Here’s a quick glance at the types of business visas that may be available to you:
- CW-1 visas for transitional workers
- E-1, E-2, E-2C and E-3, EB-1, and EB-5 visas for treaty traders, treaty investors, qualified employees, long-term foreign investors, and certain specialty occupation professionals coming from Australia only
- H-1B visas for Free Trade Agreement workers, specialty occupations, fashion models of distinguished merit and ability, and workers in specialty occupations
- H-1C visas for registered nurses
- H-2A visas for temporary or seasonal agricultural workers
- H-3 visas for trainees (other than medical or academic)
- H-4 Visas
- I visas for representatives of foreign information media, including the press, radio and film
- L-1A and L-1B visas for intracompany transferees
- O-1 and O-2 visas for people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, or production in motion pictures and television (and their support staff)
- P-1A and P-1B visas for internationally recognized athletes, entertainers, and members of entertainment groups
- P-2 and P-3 visas for individual performers and groups entering to perform under reciprocal exchange programs, as well as artists and entertainers coming to the U.S. to perform, teach or coach under a culturally unique program
- Q-1 visas for people participating in international cultural exchange programs
- R-1 visas for religious workers
- TN visas for North American Free Trade Agreement temporary professionals coming from Canada or Mexico
Deportation Defense in Mesquite
A visa is a permit to enter the United States.
You can get a visa to work in the U.S., travel around the country, attend school, or some combination of the three.
However, not everyone is eligible for every type of visa, and you must apply for a visa that reflects your purpose in the United States.
For example, if you want to work, you must have a work visa; if you work when you have another type of visa (such as one to attend school or visit) and you don’t have work authorization, you can be deported from the U.S.
Many people who wish to come to the U.S. work with a visa attorney in Arlington to help them through the process of selecting the appropriate visa and applying. There are visas available for specific types of work, visas to attend school, visas to visit and travel, and even visas to come to the United States and marry a fiancé.
Obtaining Asylum or Refugee Status With Help From a Mesquite Immigration Lawyer
Asylum and refugee status are nearly the same thing; the key difference is that you ask for asylum if you’re at a border crossing or already in the United States, and you apply for refugee status if you’re currently outside the U.S. In either case, you may benefit from a Mesquite asylum and refugee lawyer who can help.
Do You Need to Speak to a Mesquite Immigration Lawyer?
If you’re considering immigrating to the U.S., hiring foreign workers, facing deportation or anything else, our team of Mesquite immigration lawyers may be able to help you. Call us today to schedule your completely free consultation, where you can get the guidance and advice you need right now.
Helpful Links
ZIP Codes in Mesquite
Some of the many ZIP Codes in Mesquite we offer our immigration services to include:
-
- 75216
- 75149
- 75150
- 75181
- 75187
- 75228