Whether the LPR does intend to reside permanently in the US, even though he/she spends time outside the country, is an important abandonment factor.
Intent to live in the US includes the intent to work in the US (through employment or a business) or to have an actual home in the US. The intent factor applies not just when the LPR wants to return – but the entire time the LPR is in a foreign country.
A timely LPR visit (generally less than one year from the departure) or the possession of a reentry permit is not evidence of intent to reside in the US permanently. In the same way, failure to obtain a reentry permit doesn’t mean the LPR didn’t want to stay in the US permanently.
The continual US ties factor
Multiples ties to the United States, while abroad, help to confirm that the LPR did not abandon his/her LPR status. Examples of these ties, according to the State Department, include:
- Filing the US and state income tax returns – as a US resident
- Keeping a home/property in the US while abroad
- Keeping business affiliations in the US while abroad
- Possession of driver’s license with a US address
- “Immediate family members residing in the United States who are U.S. citizens, LPRs, or are seeking citizenship or LPR status.”
The USCIS will also consider the LPR’s connections with people outside the US including:
- “Immediate family members residing outside of the United States
- Property and business ties in a foreign country
- Employment by a foreign employer or foreign government
- Voting in foreign elections
- Running for political office in a foreign country
- Frequent and extended trips outside of the United States.”
The USCIS considers it a rebuttable presumption that a person has abandoned his/her LPR status if that person:
- “Voluntarily claims alien status to qualify for special exemptions from income tax liability”
- Doesn’t file federal or state income tax returns – on the basis the persons consider themselves to be nonresident aliens.
The presumption can be rebutted with sufficient evidence.
Additional evidence to help show a person intended to keep their permanent US residence includes:
- Keeping up the family ties – such as children or other relatives who reside lawfully in the US – attending school
- Owning or renting real or personal property in the US
“Current or recent employment or education in the United States”
When considering the abandonment issues in a naturalization application, USCIS will consider the available documentation. They may also issue a Request for Evidence for more information.
Preserving your US residence
Applicants may want to protect their naturalization application if they leave the US for a year or more by preserving their US residence – through a formal application process.
There may be occasions when an LPR does want to record the abandonment of their LPR status. This process can be achieved through the filing of a Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status (Form I-407). There is no requirement for an LPR to file this form.
What factors should you consider before you leave the US?
If you anticipate leaving the US for a substantial period of time, you should review your right to obtain a re-entry permit. That permit should give you two years to reenter instead of just one. You should also review your obligations with an experienced immigration lawyer – especially since you may need to take important supporting documentation with you.
For help obtaining a returning resident visa,, call Herman Legal Group at 1 (216) 696 6170 or complete our contact form to speak with us.
تعتبر عريضة الإلتماس لقريب أجنبي (نموذج I-130) إحدى الخطوات التي عليك المرور بها من أجل الحصول على إقامة عائلية دائمة أو بطاقة خضراء في الولايات المتحدة. و يتم إعتماد إستمارة I-130 من قبل المواطنين الأمريكيين أو المقيمين الدائمين من أجل تأسيس صلة مع المستفيد تجعله مؤهل للحصول على التأشيرة.
و بالرغم من إنتظام الخطوات التي عليك إتباعها، تعتمد فترة معالجة إستمارة على ظروف و عوامل أخرى. منها نوع العلاقة التي تجمع مقدم العريضة بالمستفيد و حجم القضايا التي تعمل عليها دائرة خدمات الجنسية والهجرة في الولايات المتحدة في ذلك الوقت و قدرتك على تقديم طلب I-130 متناسق و متكامل و بشكل صحيح. يمثل البيان التالي الخطوات الأساسية التي عليك إتباعها عند تقديم طلب I-130.
تعتبر مراحل الحصول على تأشيرة الزواج أكثر وضوحًا و أقل تكلفة مقارنة بتأشيرة الخطوبة K-1. ستقوم وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية بتقييم قضية الهجرة القائمة على الزواج و تصدر تأشيرة بعد الموافقة عليها. و تكون التأشيرة المتحصل عليها عبر هذه الطريقة بمثابة بطاقة خضراء مؤقتة.
و ستتمكن من السفر إلى الولايات المتحدة بفضل تلك التأشيرة ثم تقوم وزارة الخارجية بإرسال بطاقتك الخضراء عن طريق البريد بمجرد حصولك عليها. و إن كنت متزوج لمدة لا تتجاوز سنتين عند قدومك للولايات المتحدة، سيتم إذًا منحك بطاقة خضراء مشروطة قبل الحصول على بطاقة خضراء صالحة لمدة عشر سنوات و يتوجب عليك تقديم طلب إن كنت ترغب في إزالة الشروط.
و قد تكون إجراءات معالجة نموذج I-130 عريضة الالتماس لقريب أجنبي بطيئة بعض الشيء. ففي منتصف سنة 2020 إستغرقت دائرة خدمات الجنسية والهجرة بين 7 و 22 شهرًا من أجل معالجة هذه الإستمارة. ويعتمد طول المدة التي عليك انتظارها قبل القدوم للولايات المتحدة و إثر قبول دائرة خدمات الجنسية والهجرة طلب I-130 الخاص بك بالأساس على إن كان زواجك من مواطن(ة) أمريكي(ة) أو من مقيم(ة) دائم(ة) بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية أو من حامل(ة) بطاقة خضراء.
إن كنت متزوج(ة) من مواطن(ة) أمريكي(ة) ستؤهل مباشرة كقريب بصفة مباشرة و ذلك يعني أن قضيتك ستتطلب الوقت الذي تستغرقه السلطات المعنية لمعالجتها فقط. ولا يتجاوز ذلك بالعادة مدة شهرين قبل أن يتم تحويل ملفك إلى مركز التأشيرات الوطني.
ثم يتوجب عليك الإنتظار لبعض الأشهر الإضافية قبل أن تقوم السفارة الأمريكية بتحديد موعد مقابلتك. و بالتالي قد تصل فترة الإنتظار بصفة عامة إلى 24 شهرًا.
و لكن من جهة أخرى إن كنت متزوج من مقيم دائم و شرعي بالولايات المتحدة فإذًا ليست لك الأولوية الفورية بل ستخضع لنظام الحصص.
إن كان زوجك أو زوجتك بصفته أو بصفتها مقيم(ة) شرعي(ة) دائم(ة) بالولايات المتحدة قد عاش برفقتك في بلد أجنبي لمدة تتجاوز 6 أشهر فعليك إستشارة محامي مختص للتأكد من أنه لم يتم إلغاء بطاقته أو بطاقتها الخضراء.
و بالرغم من أن تأشيرة الزواج CR-1 لن تستغرق أقل من 12 شهرًا فلها عدة مزايا كحصول المهاجرين على بطاقات إقامة دائمة بمجرد عبورهم حدود الولايات المتحدة.
و بإمكانهم الحصول على عمل و رقم ضمان اجتماعي و رخصة سياقة و السفر خارج حدود الولايات المتحدة. و من المفترض تلقي البطاقة الخضراء في غضون أسبوع من دخول الولايات المتحدة ويعتبر الطابع البريدي (I_551)و الختم على جواز السفر عند عبور الحدود دليل حصولك على البطاقة الخضراء.
لمعرفة مدة معالجة وتجهيز عريضة الإلتماس لقريب أجنبي (نموذج I-130) الحالية ومتابعة تغيراتها بإمكانك زيارة الموقع الرسمي لدائرة خدمات الجنسية والهجرة معرفة المزيد من التفاصيل في كل من الخمس مكاتب و مراكز الخدمات بنبراسكا و كاليفورنيا و بوتوماك و تكساس و فيرمونت.
Client: Lawful Permanent Resident
Client’s Country of Origin: Panama
Case Type: Criminal and Removal
Date of Application: August 2010
Date of Approval: February 2019
Our client retained Attorney Frank Krajenke of Herman Legal Group after sitting with a criminal conviction for three years. Our client left Panama and came to the US as a child with lawful permanent resident status. In 2010, he pled guilty to low-level charges arising from a domestic violence issue and was sentenced to complete probation. Nearly three years later, our client fulfilled the court orders but did not anticipate the removal consequences that followed.
Our client consulted with Attorney Krajenke, informing him that he was not advised of immigration consequences that would result from the plea. In addition, our client stated that no interpreter was present at the hearing, he was never told by former counsel that he would be deported and stated he would not have pled otherwise.
In 2013, Herman Legal Group counsel filed a motion to vacate the plea on constitutional grounds of failure of former counsel to advise of immigration consequences. Years had passed, and the opposing counsel sought to dismiss based on the passage of time.
In February 2019, Attorney Krajenke appeared in court and found out that the motion had been denied; however, after spending time speaking to the judge, the judge became receptive to our client’s argument and reversed her initial decision to deny the motion, permitting our counsel to withdraw plea. Furthermore, our client pled to an amended low-level charge without grounds for removal.
While this case required time and patience, the outcome is substantially successful for our client. Not only is it critical to retain an immigration lawyer, but it is also key for lawyers to analyze the courtroom and judge in order to grasp what may be most favorable for their client.
Client: Student
Client’s Country of Origin: Venezuela
Chief Paralegal Connie Cook of Herman Legal Group assisted our client with obtaining lawful status. Our client is a citizen of Venezuela and originally came to the US to visit family. Later, our client began her schooling and adjusted to student status. From then, she remained in the US for more than ten consecutive years, and finally, in 2016, her US citizen relative filed an I-130 petition on her behalf in order to commence the adjustment of status process for lawful permanent residence.
Due to our client being over 21 years of age, she was anticipated to bear a long waiting period prior to being issued a visa. The USCIS sets a quota each year for family-based visas—once the quota is met, the USCIS stops issuing visas until the next fiscal year, which creates a backlog of visa applicants. It is not uncommon for applicants over 21 to anticipate waiting years before approval to submit just the green card application. Depending on various factors, the average wait time for immigrants of this category can last from ten to 24 years.
However, with the assistance of Herman Legal Group counsel, our client’s case was successful in the sense that the longer duration of a waiting period was eliminated, and our client was able to file for her visa afterward. Expand??
Cancellation of removal is a one-time only form of relief granted under court discretion. There are several factors the court will take into consideration when granting this relief. The requirements an immigrant must show differ for lawful permanent residents (LPRs), such as green card holders, and non-LPRs.
Permanent Resident Card
Immigrants of LPR Status Must Show
- Green Card was obtained lawfully;
- Continuous residence in the US for 7 years after admission AND continuous status of LPR for 5 years before the “stop-time” rule is initiated (see below);
- No conviction of an aggravated felony;
- No offense triggering criminal inadmissibility/crime of moral turpitude; and
- Have not received relief in the past.
Removal and Deportation
Immigrants of Non-LPR Status Must Show
- Continuous and physical presence in the US for 10+ years (date of admission to date served Notice to Appear or commission of crime);
- Good moral character (No convictions of criminal inadmissibility or deportability grounds); and
- Exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to LPR or US Citizen relative (see below);
Absences from the U.S. for any period in excess of 90 days or for any periods in the aggregate exceeding 180 days lead to a finding of failure to maintain continuous physical presence.
Stop-Time Rule
“Stop-time” Rule
The Immigration and Nationality Act §240 provides that an immigrant’s continuous residence or continuous physical presence ends when:
(1) the immigrant has committed an offense referred to in section 212 that renders him inadmissible to the US under section 212 or or removable from the US under section 237 or 237 of the Act; or
(2) in the case of applying for cancellation of removal, when the immigrant is served with a Notice to Appear. Whichever is earliest.
In June 2018, the US Supreme Court issued a decision in Pereira v. Sessions which held that the plain language of the statute requires the Notice to Appear to specify the date, time, and location that the hearing will take place. This is in light of many immigrants being served notices which stated the date of their hearing is “to be determined,” resulting in their lack of awareness of suspended continuous presence. Furthermore, if you have been served a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings, check to see if your hearing has been assigned a specified time and place. Otherwise, failure to specify on the matter does not trigger the stop-time rule.
Deportation
Exceptional & Extremely Unusual Hardship
Cases in which a noncitizen must display exceptional and extremely unusual hardship are tough cases to win as they are analyzed under a very restrictive standard. The hardship must not be to you, but to an immediate family member who is a US citizen or US permanent resident. Note, mere economic hardship will not qualify under the standard. The court will analyze several factors such as:
- Age
- Children’s ages
- Health
- Ability to support your family from your home country
- Availability of education and medication in your home country
Relief for extremely unusual hardship is not often granted. Consult with an immigration lawyer to analyze whether your case may be successful and granted relief under the circumstances.