INA §212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I), 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) Extremely minor crimes can make a foreign national inadmissible even if she was never convicted of the crime. In immigration law, crimes involving “moral turpitude” essentially refer to offenses that are intrinsically bad. Here’s one…
INA §§212(a)(2)(D)(i)–(ii), 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(2)(D)(i)–(ii) A person who has engaged – or tried to engage – in prostitution within the past ten years is inadmissible. Before you blow past this section, read on. Certainly, a prostitution-related conviction will be a…
INA §212(a)(1), 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(1) U.S. immigration law has always been concerned about allowing people into the country who could impact public health. There are three categories of health-related inadmissibility issues you need to assess: (1) diseases of public health…
INA §212(a)(4), 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(4). This ground of inadmissibility may be the one that creates the most common problem for fiancée applicants. Your fiancée is inadmissible if the immigration agencies determine that she is likely to become a “public charge.”…
The critical component of United States immigration law is the so-called grounds of inadmissibility. This is often an area of which people have only a vague awareness. For example, most people understand that criminal issues will create a problem for…
Both the Form I-130 and Form I-129F petitions require that you file passport-style photographs of the U.S. petitioner and foreign beneficiary. To avoid needless delay, make sure your photographs comply with the required specifications. USCIS adopts photograph guidelines used by…
Key points: Criminal background documents - “police certificates” - are required in marriage-based and fiancee visa cases, but not adjustment of status. Certificates are required for every country you have lived in for 12 months or longer since age 16.…
This section goes line by line to the Form I-129F to help you complete the document correctly. I recommend that you do not read this section in its entirety, rather start working on the form and use this section as…
To successfully serve as a Form I-864 sponsor an individual needs to be able to demonstrate sufficient financial wherewithal. Specifically, he needs to show that his income is at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If his income…
The most important step of the fiancé(e) visa process happens before you start preparing any forms. This all-important step is determining whether you are legally eligible to get a fiancé(e) visa in the first place. In this chapter, we walk…