Euless, TX Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

As you know, your L-1A is based upon your employer being related to an overseas organization in which you served prior to coming to the States. If the oil and gas industry in the U. S. was in the dire straits of earlier years, you could possibly be sponsored directly for the green card under a national interest waiver. That might prove not to be so viable in these times. Hopefully the new US-based employer has already applied for an H-1B petition for you in the first 5 business days of April if it was inclined to put you on an H-1B status. If you are very well-known in your field and have recognized achievements, you may be eligible for an O-1 extraordinary alien visa. In such case, you may also be eligible for EB-1A recognition for the green card. Finally if you are recognized researcher in the field of oil and gas with publications or patents and recognition for your research, you may be eligible for EB-1B recognition as an outstanding researcher. If qualified for either EB-1A or EB-1B, you could possibly go directly to the green card. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

At a minimum, you have to get married to your girlfriend in Mexico and then she has to submit an I-130 petition on your behalf. After the petition has been approved and your visa application is complete, you will be scheduled for a visa interview at the US consulate. After in the interview, you will need to file waivers on form I-601 for unlawful presence and I-212 for having been previously deported. It usually takes about 1 year for the paperwork to be processed before you get the initial interview.

To apply for citizenship (naturalization), the person must have 5 years of Good Moral Character. That means there must be no arrests or convictions for 5 years before he applies for citizenship. If you are a US citizen, he needs to have 3 years of no arrests or convictions before he can apply for citizenship.