Legal Question in Immigration Law in New York

I am 19 years of age and have lived in the US for 18 years. My aunt filed for my mother and I 8 years ago and we're still in pending. My mother has been married to a man for 6 years who is not a us citizen but has a green card, and she had a child for him 4 years ago. My mother had a lawer who claimed to be helping us but in reality she took our money and we recieved no help. I just wanted to know if there is anyway that we could get through with anything. Living here is so hard. I am 19 and I havent been able to progress in my life at all. I cannot drive, work, or go to college, I have no friends and sometimes end up homeless. My mom cannot afford daycare for my younger brother so I take care of him 24/7 while my mother works. I barely know anything about my country because i've lived here basically all my life. Where do I begin? Can someone help me?


Asked on 5/18/10, 12:51 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Luba Smal Smal Immigration Law Office

I am sorry to hear about your situation. I assume that you came to USA without a visa (you didn't specify). If your aunt had filed a petition for your mother prior to April 30, 2001, then you might be able to obtain a green card (residency) whenever her petition's priority date is current.

Unfortunately, there are not many legal ways to adjust status (get a green card) if you came to USA illegally (without a visa).

There is an option to apply for cancellation of removal if one is placed into removal (deportation) proceedings. It's hard to have this benefit granted by the immigration judge, but possible.

If the immigration reform will take place in the next 1-2 years, you should have a way to legalize status.

I offer confidential telephone or email legal consultations and assist in matters of the U.S. federal immigration law to clients from all 50 States and internationally. If you�d like to schedule a telephone or email legal consultation, need legal advice or help, please let me know and I�d be glad to help you. Please email at Attorney [@] law-visa-usa.com or LubaSmal [@] yahoo.com . Office Telephone line is 1-402-210-2040 (please EMAIL to schedule a consultation).

Note: The above response is provided for legal information purposes only and should not be considered a legal advice; it doesn�t create an attorney-client relationship. If you would like to request a follow-up confidential advice on your specific situation and regarding U.S.A. immigration-related issues, we can offer a paid consultation by telephone or email to clients from all States and globally. Please visit our website http://www.law-visa-usa.com/contact_us.html for more details.

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Answered on 5/23/10, 2:17 pm


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