Legal Question in Immigration Law in Pennsylvania

Re: Deportation and Marriage

You asked about immigration after deportation following conviction.

It would depend on the circumstances of the original crime. If there were some mitigating factor that made the crime less than egregious (e.g. such as if he met the minor in a bar and the minor had been served liquor).

Marriage is often a route for the expedient of gaining admission to the U.S. but it will probably not help in the current situation. Many countries exclude persons from even visiting if they have ever been convicted of a crime (including misdemeanors). The U.S. does not have such a blanket law, but does consider the type and severity of the offense.

Unfortunately, given the current climate, and the fact that he had the opportunity for a hearing before being deported, the chances for approval of any immigration status (or even travel) to the U.S. is almost zero. Not absolutely zero, but any attorney should explain from the outset that this is an incredibly difficult obstacle to overcome and your efforts will likely fail.

This doesn't mean you should not explore the possibility. Just don't get your hopes up. Also, the longer the person stays clean and improves his circumstances where he is the higher the likelihood that the person could immigrate in the future (5 or 10 years). It may even be possible to have the conviction pardoned and the record expunged at the state level at some point in the future. That will help, but that will not negate the fact that the ICE will have a record of the conviction and can legally hold that conviction against the person.

Sorry.

Regards,

Roger