DO YOU QUALIFY FOR A GREEN CARD OR
CITIZENSHIP THROUGH A FAMILY MEMBER?

This Year The Government Plans To Deport 400,000 Immigrants . . .

Don’t Be One Of Them

First a green card. Then citizenship. These are the keys to your family’s future.

The opportunity to work legally in the U.S. and earn better pay at a better job
The chance to attend college, join the military, or open a business
The possibility to buy a home and build security for retirement

And, of course, the freedom from being arrested at any time.

But winning your green card or becoming a citizen is not as simple as it looks.

To assist you and your family – your spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters – the Law Offices of Immigration Attorney Carlos Batara offer a full range of services.

Our Permanent Resident and Citizenship Services Include:

MARRIAGE – SPOUSE AND FIANCĖ VISAS

DIVORCE AND SEPARATION – REMOVAL OF CONDITIONS

OLD OR PENDING IMMIGRATION FAMILY-BASED VISA PETITIONS

SPOUSAL AND CHILD ABUSE

ADOPTION

CITIZENSHIP AND NATURALIZATION

IMMIGRATION APPEALS

MARRIAGE – SPOUSE AND FIANCĖ VISAS

Often, our clients are citizens or permanent residents who want to marry someone who does not have valid immigration papers to live in the United States. Sometimes the immigrant is already living in the United States.

Other times the immigrant seeking to become a lawful permanent resident is still living in his or her country. These clients must usually choose between fiancé and marriage visas.

Whatever your situation, Green Card Lawyer Carlos Batara will provide a realistic assessment of your chances of success at your first consultation.

John, a U.S. citizen, wants to marry Louisa, who lives in Brazil. They have arranged for Louisa to visit John next month on a visitor visa. John seeks to file papers to immigrate her as soon as they get married.  Rather than making a mistake, John calls our Riverside immigration attorney office for an appointment. A key concern, we inform John, is Louisa’s knowledge. Does Louisa know about John’s intentions? If she knows about John’s ideas, and she plans to stay in the United States and get married, her visit is probably a bad idea. The U.S. government may interpret her entry as immigration fraud – since she was intending to stay, not just visit, in the United States. We advise John a safer course is to file a fiancée visa. This means canceling their current plans. This means a longer period of separation right now. But we explain, once Louisa arrives, they can live together happily ever after in the United States. On the other hand, if Louisa had already been here on a valid visitor visa when John suddenly decides to get married, they may be able to immediately file her immigration paperwork. She can complete the documents for her green card here without going back to Brazil.

DIVORCE AND SEPARATION – REMOVAL OF CONDITIONS

Some clients experience a divorce or separation after the family immigration petition has been filed. Many are afraid. They believe there is no possibility of going forward. They fear being deported.

As your permanent resident attorney, Carlos will analyze your situation. Once he has learned about when your were married, when your were divorced, and other important facts, he will make recommendations to you avoid future problems and, whenever possible, still obtain your green card.

If you were married for less than two years when your green card was approved, it was only approved on a conditional basis. This means your green card is only valid for two years.

Before the time is up, you must apply to remove the condition along with your spouse, allowing you full permanent residence status. If you are no longer married, or your spouse has died, the immigration process is more difficult. You will need to prove you qualify to remove the condition on your green card by yourself.

If you are facing this type of situation, here’s the key point. Do not give up until you talked to an experienced green card attorney.

OLD OR PENDING IMMIGRATION FAMILY-BASED VISA PETITIONS

Many clients filed immigration family visa petitions for immigration benefits a long time ago. They do not know the status of the paperwork. They do not know if the family petition has been canceled. They do not know if their paperwork is still valid and if they can still apply for their green cards. They do not know if they must start over again.

If this is your situation, you should consult with a permanent resident lawyer. Sometimes, your old family visa petition can help you qualify for a green card today. In other cases, it might harm a new opportunity for you to earn a green card through a new application.

Maria, age 23, is curious about her immigration status. Papers were filed by her lawful permanent resident father several years ago. Because she is now an adult, friends have told she has to wait longer to get an interview.  Maria is engaged to a lawful permanent resident. If she gets married, she wants to know if this will help her get a green card sooner. She wants to know if she has to start the immigration process over again.  Maria decides to call our San Diego immigration attorney office for help. Her inquiries are not simple. To assist her, there are still many questions to be answered. For example, when did her father file papers? What papers, exactly, did her father file? Is her father still a lawful permanent resident or has he became a U.S. citizen? Will she have to return to her home country for her immigration interview? How did Maria enter this country – with or without permission? To help Maria, we need to analyze her old papers. We can then explore all options open to her – enabling her to make an intelligent decision about the best way to become a lawful permanent resident.

Whether you’re the spouse, child, parent, brother, or sister of a pending family visa petition, immigration green card lawyer Carlos Batara is here to help you unlock the doors to permanent residency.

ABUSE OF IMMIGRANT SPOUSES AND CHILDREN

Unfortunately, some immigrant marriages involve spousal and child abuse. The abuse may be physical, mental, emotional, or financial.

One spouse, a U.S. citizen, controls, mistreats, or harms the immigrant spouse, who does not have immigration documents. The abuser threatens to call the police to deport his spouse if she tells anyone about the abuse or violence.

In many cases, immigration lawyer Carlos Batara can help the spouse who is abused obtain green card benefits and permanent resident status under VAWA, a special immigration program. 

With vast expertise as an Violence Against Women Act immigration attorney, Carlos Batara also assists immigrants who were abused as children gain permanent resident status under VAWA.

IMMIGRANT ADOPTIONS

Sometimes a relative or friend wants to adopt a child who does not have immigration documents.

Permanent resident lawyer Carlos Batara offers a unique combination for such matters – experience in handling immigration cases for families and experience in handling adoptions in state courts.

In addition to his background as a green card lawyer, Carlos’ expertise includes marriage, divorce, child custody and other issues between immigrants and U.S. residents or citizens.

Jenny, a U.S. citizen, wants to file papers to immigrate her nephew and niece. Her sister abandoned them several years ago. Jenny has raised them since her sister disappeared. The oldest child, Hector, is 15 years old and will turn 16 in about eight months. Jenny knows she has to adopt them before she is allowed to immigrate them.   Worried about Hector, Jenny schedules an appointment with Carlos at our Escondido immigration lawyer office. We explain to Jenny that she does not have much time. Hector’s adoption has to be completed by the time he turns 16. The adoption process takes at least six months. In this case, it might take longer. Jenny must notify Hector’s parents that she plans to adopt them. Yet, Jenny has no clues where Hector’s mother and father have lived for almost ten years. We emphasize there is no time for delay. There is no room for mistakes. If Jenny is going to take action, we advise her, she has to take action quickly.

As the son of an immigrant, Carlos Batara feel strongly about uniting and keeping immigrant families together. You can count on Carlos to work closely with you to help achieve your family’s permanent residence and citizenship goals.

CITIZENSHIP AND NATURALIZATION

Some clients come to our immigration law offices seeking to become U.S. citizens. Others need Carlos’ advice as a citizenship lawyer to prove they are already U.S. citizens. This can be quite difficult.

Carlos encourages all of his clients to become a U.S. citizen after they earn lawful permanent resident status. 

As your citizenship attorney, Carlos takes pride in ensuring that you successfully finish the immigration process. He will assist you in completing citizenship applications, taking and passing the citizenship test, and being sworn in as an official U.S. citizen.

Hiding or concealing important information can lead to problems. Even 20 years after you win your naturalization case, you can be stripped of your citizenship through a process known as denaturalization.

Most challenges for naturalization lawyers arise in the following situations:

• You are a lawful permanent resident but committed a few crimes.
• You are a lawful permanent resident but went back and forth to your home country several times.
• You have a U.S. citizen parent but you were born outside the United States.
• You were born in the United States but not in a hospital and your birth was never registered.
• You were raised by an aunt who tells you that your father was a U.S. citizen but no one knows where you were born.

If you face any of these situations, don’t take risks. Consult with an immigration citizenship attorney before filing any papers.

IMMIGRATION APPEALS

If your family immigration petition or adjustment of status application is denied or rejected, you have a short period of time to contest the decision. Our law office has vast experience in handling all types of immigration appeals. But you must act quickly – often in 30 days or less.

When you’re ready to become a permanent resident or U.S. citizen . . .