Immigration Lawyers Cicero

Immigration Lawyers Cicero

When you have an immigration problem or issue that needs a solution, you need the services of an experienced immigration lawyer in Cicero. This is because going through the immigration process is a frustrating and often daunting experience for many. Whether you are pursuing a green card or another visa with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), having an experienced immigration lawyer helping you can make a big difference. At Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan, we have decades of experience helping clients in Cicero to successfully tackle their immigration needs.

Immigration and nationality law covers a wide range of managing the affairs of mostly noncitizens, but even citizens are covered if they have relationships with noncitizens. Immigration generally occurs under two broad categories, and these are family-based and employment-based immigration. However, there are several other smaller categories under which people immigrate to the United States. This article covers the two main categories of family and employment-based immigration.  

Family-Based Immigration

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders) can petition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to have their relatives be given permanent residency or green cards based on the family relationship. These relatives are divided into two groups: “immediate relatives” and “preference” categories.

Immediate relatives are spouses, children, parents, and siblings of U.S. citizens. However, there are additional requirements that must be met before any of these relatives are approved for a green card. For example, the children must be unmarried and not more than 21 years old. On the other hand, a child can only apply for their parents to get a green card if the child is over the age of 21.

Everyone else who is not an immediate relative falls under the preference immigrant category, but even then, not everyone who qualifies as there are further restrictions. 

Those who qualify as preference immigrants are the following classes of relatives:

• First preference – unmarried children of U.S. citizens who are over the age of 21
• Second preference – spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents who are 21 years of age or younger.
• Second preference – unmarried children of permanent residents who are over the age of 21.
• Third preference – married children of U.S. citizens; and
• Fourth preference – brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, but the U.S. citizen must be over the age of 21.

Employment-Based Immigration

American employers who have jobs they are unable to find American workers to fill can petition the USCIS to have that foreign worker be given a work visa to come and work for them. The visa can be for temporary or permanent employment. A temporary visa is given for a limited time – usually three years – and a visa for permanent employment is, in fact, a green card given to the foreign worker.

The requirements for obtaining any of these work visas are numerous, and sometimes even figuring out exactly what they are can be confusing. An experienced employment immigration lawyer such as we have at Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan not only knows what these requirements are, they know how to navigate the complex immigration system to get these often difficult-to-get work visas.

Consult with Our Immigration Lawyer in Cicero

If you are in the Cicero area and have an immigration need for anything, contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and learn how we can help you.