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Frequently Asked Questions on
Immigration and Naturalization


Q. What is Immigration Law?

A. Immigration is exclusively governed by federal law. The federal Immigration and Nationality Act regulates who can enter the United States on a temporary or permanent basis. It also governs whom  the government can remove (or "deport") from the United States.

Q. What is Naturalization?

A. The act of making a person a citizen of the United States who was not born with that status. An application for citizenship is an application for Naturalization.

Q. What are the requirements for naturalization?

A. You may apply for naturalization if:

  1. you have been a lawful permanent resident for five years,
  2. you have been a lawful permanent resident for three years, have been married to a US  citizen for those three years, and continue to be married to that U.S. citizen,
  3. you are a lawful  permanent resident child of United States citizen parents, or
  4. you have qualifying military  service. Children under 18 may automatically become citizens when their parents naturalize.

Q. If I am naturalized, is my child a citizen?

A. Usually if children are Permanent Residents they derive citizenship by operation of law from their naturalized parents. In most cases, your child is a citizen if all of the following are true:

  1. The other parent is also naturalized or
  2. You are the only surviving parent (if the other parent is dead) or
  3. You have legal custody (if you and the other parent are legally separated or divorced.) and,

    The child was under 18 when the parent(s) naturalized, the child was not married when the parent(s) naturalized; and the child was a Permanent Resident before his or her 18th birthday.

Q. What is an Immigrant?

A. A person coming to the US to remain permanently or for an indefinite period of time and to make the United States the primary place of residence. A permanent resident of the US is an immigrant. A person who plans to become a permanent resident is an intending immigrant.

Q. What is a Visa?

A. An authorization issued by a US consul permitting a person to come to a US port or inspection point to apply to be admitted to the US for the purpose of the particular visa. A visa does not give the bearer the right to enter the US but only the right to apply to be admitted at an inspection point.

Q. What is an Immigrant Visa?

A. An Immigrant visa is the visa given to a person by a US consul after qualifying for permanent  residence. After arriving in the US, the person will receive a green card. Immigrant visas are  issued to those who qualify for residence in the United States. There are various applications  for residence some are listed below:

Employment Based Visas and Special Ability Visas
Family Relations Visas
Lottery Diversity Visa
Religious Worker Visa
Investors/Entrepreneur Visas
Refugee/Asylum/Protected Status

Q. What is a Green Card?

A. A Permanent Resident Card, which is commonly known as a Green Card, is evidence of your status as a lawful permanent resident with a right to live and to work permanently in the United States, to travel in and out of the counrty without a visa, to work at any job, and to accumulate time toward U.S. citizenship. It also is evidence of your registration in accordance with the United States immigration laws. The Permanent Resident Card is also called Form I-551.

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