1. Child with Documented Immigration
I have a child with a documented immigrant and she’s trying to go back to her homeland to visit. What are the laws concerning that?
Mr. Lee answers，
The documented immigrant must check with the consulate or embassy of the home country to determine what the requirements are for the child to enter the country. I will assume for purposes of your question that the child was born in the U. S. and is a U. S. citizen. The documented immigrant should obtain a U. S. passport for the child and then check with the home government as to whether there are other requirements for the entry of the child. Coming back to the U. S., the documented immigrant’s passport and green card and the child’s U. S. passport would be sufficient for entry.
2. Can I Ask for Asylum? I am Illegal for Nearly 20 Years.
I have court approaching, if I am reported to ICE can I request for Asylum? I have court for driving unlicensed. I live in GA.
Mr. Lee answers，
Unless there are extenuating circumstances, an individual can only ask for political asylum within one year of coming to the U. S. illegally, or if the individual came to the U. S. under a nonimmigrant visa, within a reasonable period of time (usually less than 6 months) after the ending of the status. You can, however, request protection under withholding of removal which requires over a 50% probability that you will be persecuted upon return to the home country or protection under the Convention against Torture (CAT), under which you would have to prove by over 50% probability that you would be subject to an extreme form of cruel and inhuman punishment that must cause severe pain or suffering. For the Convention against Torture, even aggravated felons are eligible to apply. I note that asylum differs from the 2 other reliefs as the burden of proof is lower (applicants must show only a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, political opinion, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or past persecution) and a grant of asylum can lead to the green card whereas grants of withholding or CAT do not.
3. I Have DACA, Can I Apply for a Green Card?
I came from Mexico when I was 3 with my mother who had a short term working visa for both of us. We overstayed. What can I do to get a green card?
Mr. Lee answers，
Being under DACA means that you are allowed to stay, but without legislation providing a path to the green card, there is not much that can be done at present. For purposes of your question, I will assume that you are at least 18 years of age. As you came in legally with your mother, you could possibly adjust status to permanent residence if you marry with a U. S. citizen in a bona fide marriage. If you marry with a permanent resident who is a long way from citizenship or is ineligible or cannot pass the naturalization test, you could possibly take advantage of the I-601A program to obtain a waiver of the 10 year bar for staying in the U. S. for one year or more. The waiver application would be based upon your spouse suffering extreme hardship if you had to leave the U. S. If the I-601A application is approved, you could then return to Mexico for an immigrant visa appointment at the American consulate. Assuming that you are approved at the time of interview, you could return to the U. S. under residence status almost immediately. If the above is not an option, you can wait with all other members of the DACA class until your DACA situation is solved politically.
