U.S. Immigration Made Easy 19th Edition ( US Immigration Made Easy)

958 Pages·2019·6.533 MB·English

by  Ilona Bray , Richard Link

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LOS ANGELES TIMES
19th Edition
U.S. Immigration Made Easy
Ilona Bray, J.D.
Updated by Attorney Richard Link
NINETEENTH EDITION MARCH 2019
Cover Design SUSAN PUTNEY
Production SUSAN PUTNEY
Proofreading IRENE BARNARD
Index VICTORIA BAKER
Printing BANG PRINTING
ISSN: 1055-9647 (print)
ISSN: 2326-0041 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-4133-2595-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-4133-2596-6 (ebook)
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We believe accurate, plain-English legal information should help you solve
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Acknowledgments
This book was originally authored by Laurence A. Canter and Martha S.
Siegel. For help in updating and revising it for recent editions, special
thanks are owed to:
Richard Link, an attorney practicing in Rochester, New York, who lent his years
of immigration law and editing experience to the considerable task of reviewing
and updating this 19th edition. Richard went above and beyond the basics,
adding useful tips and insights to make this book more comprehensive than ever.
Daniel Horne, an attorney with the firm Jackson & Hertogs, LLP, in San Francisco,
California (www.jackson-hertogs.com), who provided excellent information and
practice tips for recent previous editions.
Chris Pooley, an attorney practicing in Avon, Colorado, who shared his expertise
and experience with H-2B visas.
Emily Doskow, an attorney in private practice and Nolo author/editor (based in
Berkeley, California), for her contribution regarding international adoptions by
same-sex couples.
Jimmy Go, of the law firm Go & Laster (Portland, Oregon), for his contribution
regarding investor visas.
Julia Day Marquez, of the law firm Fallon, Bixby, Cheng & Lee in San Francisco,
California (www.fbcl-visa.com), for contributions regarding labor certification.
Under Nolo’s roof, thanks go to the Production Department for doing the
layout.
About the Authors
Ilona Bray, J.D., came to the practice of immigration law through her
long interest in international human rights. Before joining Nolo as legal
editor in charge of immigration, she ran a solo law practice and worked
for various nonprofit immigration agencies, as an attorney at the
International Institute of the East Bay (Oakland) and a Goldmark Fellow
at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (Seattle). Ms. Bray was also an
intern in the legal office of Amnesty International’s International
Secretariat in London. Ms. Bray is a member of the American
Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She received her law degree in
1990 from the University of Washington along with an M.A. in East
Asian Studies, and her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College.
She has authored numerous other books for Nolo, including Becoming a
U.S. Citizen: A Guide to the Law, Exam & Interview; Fiancé & Marriage
Visas: A Couple’s Guide to U.S. Immigration; and Effective Fundraising for
Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work.
Richard Link practices immigration law in Rochester, New York. He is
the 2018–2019 chair of the Upstate New York Chapter of the American
Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Mr. Link is a former legal
editor at the national office of AILA and at Thomson Reuters (West). Mr.
Link received his law degree in 1990 from the University of California
Davis School of Law (King Hall), where he served as senior research
editor for the U.C. Davis Law Review and earned the certificate in public
interest law. His undergraduate degree in Language Studies was
obtained at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1986.
Table of Contents
Your Immigration Companion
PART I: Getting Started: U.S. Immigration
Eligibility and Procedures
1 Where to Begin on Your Path Toward
Immigration
A. Roadmap to U.S. Immigration
B. The Typical Application Process
C. Immigration Eligibility Self-Quiz
2 Are You Already a U.S. Citizen?
A. Acquisition of Citizenship Through Birth to U.S. Citizen Parents
B. Automatic Derivation of U.S. Citizenship Through Naturalized
Parents
C. Obtaining Proof of U.S. Citizenship
D. Dual Citizenship
3 Can You Enter or Stay in the U.S. at All?
A. Particularly Troublesome Grounds of Inadmissibility
B. Avoiding or Reversing an Inadmissibility Finding
4 Dealing With Paperwork, Government Officials,
Delays, and Denials
A. Getting Organized
B. How to Obtain and Prepare Immigration Application Forms
C. How to Obtain Needed Documents
D. Before You Mail Anything
E. Dealing With Delays and Other Issues
F. Attending Interviews With USCIS or Consular Officials
G. Procedures for USCIS Interviews
H. What to Do If an Interview Is Going Badly
I. What to Do If an Application Is Denied
J. When All Else Fails, Call Your U.S. Congressperson
5 Special Rules for Canadians and Mexicans
A. Canadian Visitors and Nonimmigrants
B. Special Work Privileges for Canadian and Mexican Visitors
C. Fiancés
D. Simplified Procedures for Canadian Students and Exchange
Visitors
E. F-3 Visa for Border Commuter Students
F. Preflight Inspections for Canadians
G. NEXUS for Faster Entry by Canadians
6 How and When to Find a Lawyer
A. When Do You Need a Lawyer?