About Immigration...


Did You Know... ?

Did you know that there is an expedited naturalization process for children under the age of 18 born abroad to a United States Citizen parent in cases where the children are not citizens automatically because their United States Citizen parent did not live in the United States for the required amount of time before their birth. see more


Our News ...

News
12.22.2011
ICE granted our Request for Stay for our Chiapas client and released him from jail, temporarily ending our 4 month battle to secure his release. After his arrest by ICE, we learned that he had a deportation order from 1994. Our Motion to Reopen was denied by the Miami Immigration Court for being filed so many years after the order. An appeal to the BIA also failed. Kudos to ICE for granting this Stay and releasing him, clearly showing adherence to the new guidelines. We provided a complex psychological report which described in detail the ramifications to the 4 US children of our client in the event of his deportation. Another family reunited for Christmas. We are privileged to be able to do this work and to bring so much joy to clients.

News
12.08.2011
A happy Christmas surprise to our 19 year old refugee from El Salvador who had been in ICE custody for more than 5 weeks. She was arrested at her home, after she failed to appear for an immigration hearing. She had an In Abstentia order of deportation resulting from her failure to appear. The immigration court reopened her case, after we effectively argued with compelling evidence, that although she had proper notice of the hearing, she completely depended on her father for everything, including advice and transportation. The family is reunited for the Christmas holiday. What a nice gift.

News
11.21.2011
We are proud to report the grant of a green card to our Romanian client who was subject to a 212 e home stay requirement because she had originally come to the US on a Fulbright on a J visa. These waivers are almost impossible to get. However in this case, careful planning together with the detailed work of our attorney made winning this case a reality (after this client was told by at least 5 other lawyers that she would have to go to Romania for the requisite 2 years and that getting the waiver was impossible).

News
08.26.2011
Today an Egyptian family won its long fought deportation case. One of the members was granted a green card based on 3 year, VAWA cancellation. Another member was granted Withholding of Removal and the third member was granted asylum. This family had been in the US illegally for many years before being placed in proceedings. We would not have succeeded without the assistance of Middle East country conditions expert Shaul Gabbay.

News
Now we also serve Romanian Comunity in Chicago!

Tuesday of October 25th 2011, from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM and
Wednesday 26th 2011 12:00 PM to 6:00PM we will be at the:
Romanian Heritage Center in the Chicago area
at: 7777 N. Caldwell Avenue, Suite 103 & 106
Niles, IL 60714
directions and some pictures at: www.Ro-Am.NET

News
The Cleveland Immigration Court granted ten year cancellation of removal to a Mexican mother of four United States Citizen children. The mother has resided in the United States since she was only fourteen years old. Most of family were already residing in the United States legally when she came to the United States. Her family has been her support system throughout the years. All of her children have health issues. She has very limited ties to Mexico today and, as she has lived the majority of her life in the United States, she knows very little about Mexico and its culture today. For these as well as other reasons, the judge granted ten year cancellation believing the children would suffer exceptional hardship in Mexico as the mother could not be able to provide for them there.

News
A Guatemalan father of a severely disabled child with a final order of removal was granted a stay by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The father is being released from ICE custody and will be under an Order of supervision. In granting the stay, ICE recognized the importance of allowing the father to remain in the United States for the sake of his disabled child. Our thanks goes out to all the ICE officers here in Cleveland for their compassion, understanding and hard work in this matter.


Latest Testimonials ...

Latest Testimonials
01.24.2012
I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Svetlana Schreiber in an appointment scheduled throughout the phone. First i would like to thank her. I have been advised by a large number of attorneys over the years regarding my immigration status and absolutely none of them has been really trying to understand my problem and most importantly to find a solution for it. I have always wanted to meet that attorney that will no longer say that there is no solution for me and the answer for now is patience. And I finally have found that person that said I have been wasting way too many years hiding behind my fears and encouraged me to make a step in a changing direction. You will find in Mrs. Schreiber not only a knowledgeable and eager attorney, but an encouraging and supporting people person and I strongly recommend you to establish your first connection with her and dare to dream bigger!

Oana Radu

Latest Testimonials
12.19.2011
Dear Svetlana,
I just wanted to take a minute and say: THANK YOU!!! to you and and your team for your all your hard work, patience and for never giving up your efforts on my case until we received a positive result. I am very beyond happy with the results and very impressed with your knowledge in he field and level of professionalism. I would gladly recommend you to anyone in need.
Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season and a New Year filled with good health, happiness and many, many winning cases!

Sincerely,
Mihaela Presecan

Latest Testimonials
11.24.2011
Dearest team,
I just wanted to send you a note to say Thank you for everything.....for all the great work, sincerity, inspiration and hope that you all gave me during the painstaking process of obtaining the waiver and the green card. This miracle would have not been possible without you and your commitment to success. I will always keep you in my heart and prayers and I honestly hope that I can do the same good to you one day!!
Wishing you love, peace, and happiness on this day and always!
Have a blessed and very Happy Thanksgiving!

Much love,
Ana Maria and family

Latest Testimonials
11.07.2011
Svetlana Is the kind of person who makes America great!
She helps ordinary people gain their rights in the country of their choice.

Peace. Vince






Immigration Glossary Terms

A

Acquired Citizenship

Citizenship conferred at birth on children born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent(s).

Adjustment To Immigrant Status

Procedure allowing certain aliens already in the United States to apply for immigrant status. Aliens admitted to the United States in a nonimmigrant, refugee, or parolee category may have their status changed to that of lawful permanent resident if they are eligible to receive an immigrant visa and one is immediately available. In such cases, the alien is counted as an immigrant as of the date of adjustment, even though the alien may have been in the United States for an extended period of time. Beginning in October 1994, section 245(i) of the INA allowed illegal residents who were eligible for immigrant status to remain in the United States and adjust to permanent resident status by applying at a USCIS office and paying an additional penalty fee. Section 245(i) is no longer available unless the alien is the beneficiary of a petition under section 204 of the Act or of an application for a labor certification under section 212(a)(5)(A), filed on or before April 30, 2001. And, if filed after January 1, 1998, the alien must have been present in the United States on December 21, 2000. Prior to October 1994, most illegal residents were required to leave the United States and acquire a visa abroad from the Department of State as they are again now.

Agricultural Worker

As a nonimmigrant class of admission, an alien coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services, as defined by the Secretary of Labor.

Application Support Centers

USCIS Offices fingerprint applicants for immigration benefits. Some USCIS applications, such as the Application for Naturalization or the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, require the USCIS to conduct a FBI fingerprint background check on the applicant. Most applicants that require a background check will be scheduled to appear at a specific Application Support Center (ASC).

Apprehension

The arrest of a removable alien by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Each apprehension of the same alien in a fiscal year is counted separately.

Asylee

An alien in the United States or at a port of entry who is found to be unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality, or to seek the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the aliens race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. For persons with no nationality, the country of nationality is considered to be the country in which the alien last habitually resided. Asylees are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident status after one year of continuous presence in the United States. These immigrants are limited to 10,000 adjustments per fiscal year.Go to the DHS, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Internet site to learn more.

Adjustment Of Status

The process through which certain non-citizens apply for permanent resident (that is, green card) status from within the United States, as opposed to applying from abroad. (Applying from abroad is referred to as consular processing.)Prior immigration violations, such as unlawful entry, and certain criminal acts may make an applicant ineligible to apply from within the United States, though waivers (exceptions) may be available in some instances. A successful applicant for adjustment of status will receive a green card and is known as a lawful permanent resident.

A Number

A unique 8- or 9-digit number, preceded by the letter A, which the Department of Homeland Security assigns to most non-citizens as a type of identification.

Affidavit Of Support (AOS)

A form filed by a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident (known as the sponsor) on behalf of a non-citizen seeking lawful permanent residence (a green card) in the U.S. The affidavit is intended to verify that the sponsor has sufficient income to support the persons intending to immigrate to the U.S. It is a legally enforceable contract against the sponsor.The sponsor must prove that he or she has income equal to at least 125% of the federal poverty level. The number of the sponsors dependents, used in calculating the minimum income required, must include the sponsor, all members of the sponsors household, and the persons sponsored. Prior federal tax returns, proof of current employment, and other evidence of the sponsors income must accompany the affidavit.

Aggravated Felony

A term created by statute to refer to a list of specific crimes and categories of crimes. Severe legal consequences attach to non-citizens that the government determines to be aggravated felons. For instance, these persons usually become ineligible to enter or remain in the U.S. for any reason or to qualify for almost all types of immigration benefits, including obtaining a green card or being naturalized to become a U.S. citizen. Persons designated as aggravated felons also become much more vulnerable to removal (deportation) from the U.S., resulting in a lifetime disqualification from returning to the country.In order to be considered aggravated felonies, some of the listed crimes also require a prison sentence of a minimum length. For example, U.S. law says that a person has committed an aggravated felony if he/she is convicted of a "theft offense or burglary offense" for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year." Criminal convictions in the past also count toward a decision about whether someone has committed an aggravated felony. The list, scope, and consequences of aggravated felonies have been vastly expanded over the years by Congress and by court decisions. In some circumstances, misdemeanors can count as aggravated felonies.


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