Legal Question in Immigration Law in New York

Re: Relation to an illegal immigrant

It should not affect your future wife's status. However, your fiance will be asked if she has any relatives in the United States and she will have to choose between lying or reporting her mother. Lying to the government may trigger serious consequences. If she reports her mother, her mother will be deported. At this point it is desirable that her mother voluntarily leaves the States and comes legally (on a tourist or other kind of visa) after your marriage. After your wife naturalizes, she can petition for her mother to become a permanent resident. If your mother in law gets deported, she won't be able to come back, at least not for 15 years. Also, if the government finds out that your mother-in-law has been here illegally for over 6 month, she will not be able to enter the country for three years, if more than a year - she won't be able to enter the country for 10 years. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

Best of luck,

Kseniya Zavala, Esq.