A permanent resident can lose their permanent residence if he/she remains outside the U.S for one day more than one year.  A primary residence in the U.S. is necessary to apply to Immigration for citizenship.  Normally residents who need to stay outside the U.S. for more than one year must apply for a re-entry permit [...]

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When a marriage based adjustment of status application has been filed where a divorce occurs before its approval, a recent Court of Appeals decision in the 9th Circuit decided that the application would still be effective. This case involved a K-1 visa holder who had arrived in the U.S. with K-1 status as the fiancée [...]

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Immigrants who entered the U.S. with false documents such as passport or a false visa provided that they are married to a U.S. citizen, or parents of an adult U.S. citizen, now are eligible to receive permanent residence in New York. The Immigration Service requires a waiver to forgive the unlawful entry. The applicant has [...]

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You can apply for citizenship after three years if you are married to a U.S. citizen for three years even if your conditional residence condition has not yet been changed to permanent residence. You don’t have to wait to remove the condition if you’ve properly filed and the Immigration Service hasn’t yet acted.  For conditional [...]

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For the 2009 lottery program, there are strict requirements.  The greater number of visas will go to regions with low rates of immigration . The following countries are not available:Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan,Philippines, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), and [...]

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In remaining outside the U.S. for more than 6 months without returning, an alien may be penalized by losing his card.  Even if the card is taken by an Immigration Service Officer, the permanent residence is not necessarily lost. The main issue is one of intent, not merely for being abroad for one continuous period.  [...]

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