Obtaining Your Green Card through a Family Member

Obtaining your green card through a family member is a multi-step process that requires the assistance of an experienced attorney.  There are various categories of relatives that can petition for family members to obtain their green cards.  For U.S. citizens who petition for immediate relatives to receive residence in the U.S., there is no waiting period before the immediate relatives …

Immigration Court Hearings

There are several types of hearings in immigration court.  In this article, I will discuss the different types of hearings and the purposes of each of the hearings. The first type of immigration court hearing is a bond hearing.  Bond hearings are for people who have been placed in immigration detention.  The purpose of this type of hearing is determine …

The Minimum Jail Time for a DUI in Washington State

The law in Washington State requires that a person who is convicted of a DUI be sentenced to certain minimum jail sentences.  These sentences can be confusing and depend on several factors.  The most important factors in determining these minimum penalties are the BAC test result and the number of prior DUI offenses. In general, the absolute minimum amount of …

What is Unlawful Presence?

There is a lot of confusion in immigrant communities about the meaning of unlawful presence and the ramifications of unlawful presence on a person’s opportunities to immigrate to the United States. Unlawful presence is any time spent by a person in the United States when that person came to the U.S. illegally. It can also accrue when a person’s visa …