Athens, GA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Generally, in order for a foreign national to become a U.S. citizen, he must go through the naturalization application process, and generally to become eligible for naturalization, one must be over age 21 and must have been a Lawful Permanent Resident for 5 years (the period is 3 years for most Permanent Residents married to U.S. citizens, and actually the application may be filed as early as 90 days before the end of the 5-year or 3-year period). Of course, there are many additional details that determine eligibility for naturalization too. If your husband has been a Permanent Resident since he was one year old, then he now may be eligible to apply for naturalization; if he is not yet a Permanent Resident, then he first may need to apply to become a Permanent Resident. It would be wise for your husband to consult with an immigration attorney who, after learning all of the relevant information, could advise about eligibilities, options and strategies to attain his goals, and who then could offer legal representation in the often complex application process.

There is no minimum amount of time a Permanent Resident must remain married, but in order to take advantage of being able to apply to become a naturalized citizen only 3 years (rather than 5) years after becoming a Permanent Resident, the foreign national must remain married and living together with a U.S. citizen spouse.

Generally, a naturalized U.S. citizen may sponsor a parent for immigration in the Immediate Relative visa category, and this is true regardless of the use of different surnames. As you may expect, it will be necessary to provide documentary evidence of the relationship and additional scrutiny may be applied when there is a complication about surnames. It would be wise for you and your mother to consult with an immigration attorney who, after learning all of the relevant information, could advise about eligibilities, options, and strategies to attain your goals, and who then could offer legal representation in the often complex application process. Some immigration law firms, including mine, offer legal services on a "flat fee" basis so that a client will know the total expense from the very beginning, and a few immigration law firms, including mine, offer an initial consultation free of charge.