I urge everyone who is a permanent resident of this country and eligible for citizenship to apply as soon as possible. Residents who marry American citizens may become eligible as early as three years after establishing residency.
Many of my clients are permanent residents, many for more than twenty years. What they often don’t realize is that permanent residency is anything but permanent. Almost any minor criminal offense can serve as the basis for deportation.
I remember Jackie, who was twenty one years old, and had a husband who was a U.S. citizen and three U.S. citizen children. After a minor drug charge, she was deported to Mexico and she didn’t have any family there and she didn’t even speak Spanish !!!
And then there was Aracely. Her boyfriend had marijuana in the vehicle and she didn’t know it was there. When the two were arrested, the police offered to drop all charges against her in exchange for her forfeiting her green card !
It is more expensive than before to become a United States citizen, but it is still the best $600 or so that a permanent resident can spend.Don’t take the chance; apply for U.S. citizenship as soon as possible from the form on the USCIS website or hire a competent immigration attorney.
