Sanger, CA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

You have to be 21. There are other requirements, for instance, you need to have sufficient income or a co-sponsor, and your parents have to be admissible (meaning that there are no legal barriers to their receiving permission to enter the United States; there are many such barriers, and you will have to discuss them with your attorney when the time comes). If your parents are in the U.S. without legal status, it is possible that you should not wait to become and adult. Under the law as it stands today, even if you file immigrant petitions for your parents, they will not get green cards if they are not currently legal (unless someone had filed an immigrant petition for them before April 30, 2001). However, depending on your family circumstances, your parents might be eligible for legalization through an immmigration court proceedings. This possibility can disappear when you turn 18. It would be a good idea to consult an immigration attorney. If you are in New York, feel free to call my office to set up an appointment; there will be no charge for the consultation.

Petty theft for immigration purposes is generally regarded as a crime involving moral turpitude. I assume that when you say that you have two petty thefts against you, you either pleaded guilty or were convicted. In such case, the difficulty as I can see it is that you have two, and as such, are subject to removal proceedings. The exception to removability is where both petty thefts arose from a single scheme of criminal misconduct, at which point you would not be removable. If they were separate episodes not arising from a single scheme, you may wish to consult an attorney familiar with criminal law about the possibility of reopening one of the petty thefts and obtaining a more favorable disposition that would be acceptable for immigration purposes. I note that in the event that you are ever placed in removal proceedings, having a good record other than those incidents along with being the mother of two US citizen children would help your case for a favorable outcome. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (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.

Your question requires an attorney consultation. It is not a simple question that can be answered on this type of forum. There are many factors that would need to be considered and evaluated. I strongly suggest that your relative contact an experienced immigration attorney for a face-to-face consultation and give him/her all of the facts surrounding his situation. He/she would then be in a better position to analyze his case and advise him of his options.