Immigration Law in Albany, NY

Does your immigration status worry you? Do you find the current immigration laws confusing? An Albany, New York immigration lawyer can help correctly file all your paperwork. Not to mention, an immigration attorney can also defend you if you face deportation orders.

What Is Immigration Law?

Immigration law deals with federal regulations dictating who can live and work in the United States of America. Similarly, it also involves the naturalization process for permanent residents who wish to become United States citizens. For those who enter or remain in the country illegally or those who lose their status, U.S immigration law mandates their prosecution, detention, and possible deportation.

Contrarily, the Center for Immigration Studies reports that Albany has declared itself a sanctuary city for immigrants. Your attorney can tell you about your rights if you don’t live in a city or county with this status.

Which Government Agencies Enforce Immigration Law?

There are multiple federal government agencies that oversee immigration law in the United States. Here are the three major federal agencies:

• US Citizenship and Immigration Services: ICE investigates and enforces illegal immigration.
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services: USCIS handles applications to become workers, residents, or citizens.
• Customs and Border Protection: CBP maintains and strengthens the country’s borders.

How Does Immigration Into the U.S. and Albany, NY Work?

In order to legally immigrate into the United States, one must submit several different applications to the federal government. FurthermImmigration regulations can change constantly. We recommend hiring an Albany, New York immigration lawyer to help with the process. Moreover, you should make note if immigration is the main practice area of a law firm.

As part of their job, an attorney can inform you about changes that may affect your rights while living in Albany as they occur. The New York Attorney General protects immigrants in New York by policing federal, state, and local laws.

Types Of Immigration

Family-Based Immigration

This is the most common type of immigration. It involves an eligible family member filing a petition on behalf of the individual seeking naturalization. U.S citizens can file a petition on behalf of anyone considered an immediate relative. However, permanent residents and other migrants may face additional restrictions.

Those seeking immigration who aren’t immediately related to the person filing a petition on their behalf are subject to further review. This puts your immigration application into a pool with applied preferences. Preferential treatment goes to those who are under 21 and unmarried. On the other hand, less preference goes to older relatives of those filing a petition. By the same token, it can take years for these kinds of applicants to obtain a visa.

Employment-Based Immigration

This is a temporary visa given to those seeking work or business opportunities in America. Comparatively, employment-based immigration is a broad category with many different categories. Some of these include:

• Visas for athletes or entertainers
• Diplomatic employees visas
• Visas for religious workers
• Visas for employees in specified industries 

In these cases, a specific employer typically sponsors the immigrant. Once the temporary window closes, the company can choose to make the immigrant’s status permanent. Some Albany business owners and investors can also sponsor themselves via their companies.

Refugees And Asylum Seekers

There are special conditions where immigrants may legally enter and remain in the United States. These situations can involve people fleeing persecution or who cannot return to where they came from due to unsafe conditions. The President, in coordination with Congress, dictates how many people can be granted refugee status.

People who fear persecution upon returning to their country may seek asylum from the United States. There is currently no mandated limit on how many people can be granted asylum or how long their period of asylum lasts in Immigration Law.

Nonprofits like the Refugee Welcome Center help refugees that settle in Albany. Organizations like this one help with adjusting to life in the U.S. by providing services and cash. Volunteers can connect you with school and job opportunities, along with finding a place to live.

The Difference Between a Visa and a Green Card

A visa allows you to enter the U.S and remain for a certain period of time. However, a green card allows you to enter and stay for as long as you want. Permanent residents are people who hold green cards.

Non-Immigrant Visas

Non-immigrant visas are types of visas for people who are planning on leaving once their term has elapsed. Also, these types of visas do not lead to permanent residency unless the person has another qualifying reason. For example, this includes tourist visas, student visas, and work visas.

Immigrant Visas

Immigrant visas offer the opportunity for permanent residency in the United States. Therefore, if you have an immigrant visa, you might become eligible for a green card. However, these visas are harder to obtain and require someone to vouch for you via petition by a qualifying U.S. person.

The Role of Albany, NY Immigration Lawyers

Albany, New York immigration lawyers serve as advisors that guide applicants throughout the immigration application process. Correspondingly, matters that typically invoke the service of an immigration lawyer are extensive. These are deportation issues, green cards, citizenship, naturalization, employment, and visa or green card applications.

However, you will not typically find immigration lawyers in court dealing with cases. Instead, they serve as mediators between their clients and the U.S immigration services. Specifically, Albany, NY immigration lawyers deal with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services department.

Albany County provides an Immigration Assistance Center that helps immigrants understand their rights under current law. Moreover, you can also consider calling on other nonprofits in Ohio that help with jobs, medical care, and grants.

When Should I Consider Hiring an Albany, NY Immigration Attorney?

Hiring an immigration lawyer in Albany, New York is not always necessary. Even so, there are some instances where hiring an immigration attorney becomes almost mandatory:

• The applicant is a criminal.
• The denial of previous applications.
• The applicant experienced deportation or barred entry from the United States.
• The waiting period for an application has taken a long time.
• The applicant seeks an employment visa, and the employer refuses to help.
• The applicant’s previous status depended on marriage that resulted in divorce. 
• The child of an applicant is close to reaching the age of 21.
• The applicant became confused with the process, or could not finish the paperwork on their own.

Do you suffer from any of the problems above or have other immigration problems to resolve? If so, we can help connect you with the right Albany, NY attorney to help you navigate this complicated legal system. We can even help you connect with an attorney across New York state lines.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!