Maryville immigration lawyers

Maryville Immigration Lawyers

Helping immigrants become permanent residents and citizens in Maryville, Tennessee

America is a country of immigrants. At LaFevor & Slaughter, we take pride in our history of helping people from all parts of the globe enjoy everything our great nation has to offer. Our Maryville immigration lawyers help people navigate complex immigration forms and procedures. We help immigrants obtain green cards: become US citizens; obtain work, student, and travel visas; request asylum, and respond to deportation proceedings. We’ll answer all your questions, help you provide the correct information, and prepare you for any interviews or hearings. We’re ready to help you and your family join our American community.

Practice Areas

How can our Maryville immigration lawyers help?

What types of immigration matters do you handle in Maryville?

Our team handles the full range of immigration issues. We represent non-citizens seeking permission to travel to America to work, study, marry, have families, and escape danger and oppression. We represent immigrants already in America who wish to extend their stay, change their status, become permanent legal residents, and become naturalized systems. We fight deportations. We file appeals when decisions don’t go your way. Our team helps obtain release bonds for people in custody.

We’re your advocate with ICE officials and before the immigration courts. At LaFevor & Slaughter, our Maryville immigration lawyers are ready to address any type of immigration you or a loved one has.

What are the different types of visas?

Visas are legal documents granted by the US government to immigrants to stay in America for a limited time. There are different types of visas depending on many different factors. Some of these factors depend on your country of origin, the reason you want to stay in America, and your relationship to people who are legal permanent residents of America.

  • Temporary visas. Many immigrants from all across the globe seek to come to America to work or to study for a short time. For example, athletes and performers from abroad may use a temporary visa to compete or perform in America. Our Maryville immigration lawyers are skilled at helping immigrants and their American sponsors understand what types of visas are available, the requirements for obtaining the visas, how the visa application process works, and the conditions for staying in America if your visa application is accepted. Temporary visas have an end date – a date when the immigrant who holds the temporary visa must leave unless the visa is renewed or the immigrant obtains an adjustment of status.
  • Permanent visas. Permanent visas allow an immigrant to work or visit America indefinitely (for example some immigrants may continually come to the US and leave) or stay in America permanently.

A temporary visa is also called a non-immigrant visa. A permanent visa is called an immigrant visa.

The different types of visas include:

  • B1 visas.These visas are for business purposes – to consult with business associates, negotiate contracts, lecture, meet with estate agents, and other short-term business purposes. B1 visas are not for employment or for earning money.
  • B2 visas.B2 visas are for travel, visiting family and friends, short-term seminars, accompanying a spouse or child who is a US citizen, and for other personal reasons, such as obtaining medical help for care not available in your home country.
  • B1/B2 visas. This type of visa can be used to mix business and pleasure.
  • H visas. Different types of H visas are mainly used for different specialized types of work. For example, fashion models usually travel on H-1B visas. H-2A visas are for temporary agricultural workers. H-3 visas are for trainees and special education workers. H-3 visas are available to students and researchers, provided the training isn’t available back home. Dependents of holders of other types of visas may be able to use an H4 visa to visit America.

There are also visas for athletics, au pairs, cultural exchange, physicians, religious workers, media, temporary agricultural work, tourism/vacation, and many other categories.

You need experienced immigration lawyers to determine which visa is right for you. Once that decision is made, our Maryville immigration lawyers will help determine if you’re eligible, what documentation is required, how to file the application, and how to file an appeal if your visa application is denied. We help applicants every step of the way.

What is a green card and how do you help applicants obtain green cards?

Immigrant visas are commonly called green cards. Immigrants who have a green card have the right to stay in the United States permanently. Green cards provide many rights comparable to the rights of US citizens, though green card holders are not US citizens.

Green card benefits

Our Maryville immigration lawyers explain to immigrants that green card status provides the following rights, among others:

  • The right to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits
  • The right to apply for financial aid and to attend college or a university
  • The right to petition for your spouse and/or other relatives to come to the US – if the correct conditions apply

If you have a green card, you can stay in the United States indefinitely, though some exceptions may apply.

Having permanent legal status (a green card) also means that you can travel to other states and other countries, live wherever you want in the US, and hold a full-time job. A green card should help you obtain a mortgage, insurance, and loans.

Green card eligibility

Eligibility for a green card is complicated and there are limits. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency has different categories of green cards depending on whether you are seeking a green card through your family, employment (for workers with special skills), special immigrant status, refugee or asylee status, human trafficking and crime status, abuse status, or another category.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program), also known as the “green card lottery,” allows up to 50,000 people from countries with lower immigration numbers from the prior five years to come to America as green card holders to help diversify the people who can live in America permanently. Our Maryville immigration lawyers will explain when the lottery takes place, whether you can apply, and how the lottery process works. Generally, for the DV Program, you need to submit your application by October 1 of each year.

Naturalization and citizenship

Naturalization is the process immigrants use after meeting the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to become US citizens. The process is complicated. Our Maryville immigration lawyers have the experience and resources to help you achieve your ultimate goal – becoming a US citizen.

We help the following types of applicants achieve their dream of becoming naturalized US Citizens:

  • You are a lawful permanent resident for at least five years
  • You’re married to a US citizen
  • You’re the child of a US citizen
  • You’re serving in the US military

LaFevor & Slaughter will guide you through each step of the naturalization process, which includes:

  • Filing your application
  • Appearing for a biometrics appointment
  • Preparing you for the civics test and the English exam
  • Preparing for your naturalization interview
  • Attending the naturalization interview, where you’ll be asked to provide certain documents, answer questions about your life in the United States, discuss your moral character, and other matters.
  • Taking the oath of citizenship
  • Obtaining formal citizenship papers

Many applicants can take the citizenship oath as soon as they pass the interview.

How can your Maryville immigration lawyers help me?

Our Maryville immigration lawyers understand your hopes and your worries. We’ve helped many immigrants and family members of immigrants obtain visas, adjust their visa status, obtain green cards, and become naturalized US citizens. We have access to the forms you’ll need to complete. We understand what documents you need. We understand the timelines and rules of procedure.

We’re your advocate if any court hearings or appeals are required. Our advocacy includes preparing you in advance for the questions that are likely to be asked and asserting your rights or defenses in the case your application is denied or you are facing removal.

We’ll help calm your nerves and respond to concerns about your application if you’re informed the USCIS needs more information, requires a second interview, advises you the USCIS needs more information, or your application is denied.

Our Maryville immigration lawyers are skilled at handling the following immigration issues:

Deportation

If you’re facing removal because you were charged or convicted of a crime, your visa expired, or for other reasons, LaFevor & Slaughter is ready to show why you should be allowed to stay in America. Your defenses may include requests for an adjustment of status, showing that you have the proper documentation, and various legal and factual defenses. We represent immigrants facing deportation in court, at bond hearings, and when appeals are necessary.

Bonds

We help immigrants who are being detained while they are awaiting a court hearing obtain their freedom until the hearing is held by the payment of a bond. This help includes explaining your eligibility for a bond and how family members can help.

Appeals

If any immigration applications or cases you have are denied by the USCIS or a court, our Maryville immigration appeals lawyers file appeals to help you assert your rights and defenses – including appeals of denials of visas, adjustment of status, green cards, deportation cases, and naturalization requests.

Do you have a Maryville immigration lawyer near me?

At LaFevor & Slaughter, our Maryville immigration lawyers meet clients at our office located at 317 Ellis Ave., Suite 317. Since many of the clients we are trying to help, on behalf of Tennessee sponsors, live abroad, we also conduct video and phone consultations. Our team works with translators when necessary. We’ll calmly and clearly explain your rights and fight to obtain the immigration status you deserve. We also have an office in Knoxville, TN.

Speak with an experienced Maryville immigration attorney today

It’s exciting to dream about the prospect of coming to the United States to work, obtain an education, or rejoin family members who have already moved to Tennessee. At LaFevor & Slaughter, our Maryville immigration lawyers have helped immigrants obtain the legal authorization they need to come to America, stay in America permanently, and become US citizens. We handle all types of immigration claims and defenses. To schedule a consultation, please call us or fill out our contact form today.