Salem

In the United States, immigration is governed by federal law. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the agency responsible for enforcing the country’s immigration laws. This includes handling applications for visas, permanent residency, and even naturalized American citizenship.

Vanderwall Immigration’s citizenship law firm in Salem provides a full range of immigration services. Our approach emphasizes personalized representation, open communication, and reasonable costs. We understand that the immigration process is often scary and overwhelming, especially for newly arrived individuals to the country. That is why we strive to provide citizenship assistance in Salem with legal representation based on integrity, compassion, and advocacy.

Here are just some of the immigration legal matters that our immigration law attorneys in Salem can assist you and your family with:

• Adjustment of Status: An immigrant who is lawfully and physically present in the United States can request an adjustment of status, which allows them to apply for a green card without having to return to their home country and go through the consular process.
• Advance Parole: If you are an immigrant currently seeking an adjustment of your legal status, you may need permission from USCIS known as “advance parole” in order to travel outside of the United States while your adjustment is pending.
• Asylum: Immigrants who belong to certain vulnerable groups can apply for asylum, either while physically present in the United States or when appearing at the border. Asylum requires proof that the applicant has a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion. Immigrants granted asylum have a path to eventually seeking permanent residency in the United States.
• DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) allows children who were brought to the United States by their parents or guardians to continue to live, work, and study in the country without fear of deportation. DACA does not grant permanent residency, however, but rather provides a renewable two-year deferral of any deportation proceedings.
• Deportation Defense: Deportation is the formal legal process used to remove an immigrant from the United States. An immigrant has certain rights during the deportation process, including the right to demand a hearing before an immigration judge. Depending on a person’s circumstances, there are a number of possible defenses and responses to deportation, including applying for asylum or seeking an adjustment of status.
• Fiancé Visas: If you are a United States citizen planning to marry a foreign national, you can apply for a Fiancé Visa on their behalf. In general, you must have met your future spouse at least once in person during the two-year period before you applied for their Fiancé Visa. You also need to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial resources to support you and your new spouse, which usually means having an income that meets or exceeds 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (adjusted for the total number of people in your household.) And once your partner enters the United States, you must legally marry them within 90 days.
• Green Cards: A green card recognizes an immigrant’s status as a United States Permanent Resident. A green card holder can live and work permanently in the country. A current United States citizen can apply for a family green card on behalf of their spouse, child, parent, or sibling. Current lawful permanent residents can also seek a green card for a spouse or unmarried child.
• Parole in Place: If you are a non-citizen spouse, parent, or minor child of a current or retired member of the United States armed forces, you can petition USCIS for advance parole, which allows an otherwise undocumented person to remain in the United States legally. Parole in Place is granted purely on a case-by-case basis, and an application can be denied by USCIS for any reason.
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: A juvenile immigrant who has been the victim of abuse can apply for special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS), which offers a legal pathway to permanent residency in the United States. SIJS first requires the applicant to obtain a state juvenile court order establishing that they cannot reunify with their parents or legal guardians due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, and returning the juvenile to their country of origin would not be in their best interests.
• United States Citizenship: Citizenship allows an immigrant to do more than just live and work in the United States legally. A citizen can also vote in federal and state elections, access a full range of federal jobs and benefits, and sponsor other family members for permanent residency. Applying for citizenship is itself a fairly lengthy process. Typically, an applicant must be a green card holder who can also demonstrate substantial proficiency in the English language, pass a test on American history and civics, and demonstrate “good moral character” by passing a criminal background check.
• U Visa + VAWA: Immigrants who are also crime victims can apply for a special type of non-immigrant visa known as a U Visa. If granted, a U Visa allows the holder to live and work in the United States for up to 4 years. A U Visa holder may also eventually apply for lawful permanent residency. Another federal law, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) enables victims of domestic violence and abuse to self-petition for lawful immigration status separate from their abuser.
• Work Permits: We help immigrants apply for or renew work permits, allowing them to work legally in the U.S. while their immigration case is pending.