United States citizenship is the culmination of an immigrant’s integration into American life.  U.S. citizens can vote, hold certain public offices, petition for foreign relatives, and remain outside the U.S. for lengthy periods of time without fear of abandoning their residence. 

America’s story begins with refugees fleeing religious oppression in England.  Since the seventeenth century, this country has welcomed and sheltered those fleeing violence, repression, and a lack of freedom in their homelands.  Although the process has undergone remarkable changes, U.S. law still affords refuge to the oppressed and persecuted and offers a chance to live a life of dignity and opportunity.

U.S. Department of State consular officers posted at U.S. Embassies and visa-processing Consulates around the world adjudicate both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas filed on behalf of foreign nationals. These visas include both family-based and employment based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, as well as visitor visas, student visas, and other lawful means of entry to the United States.

Deferred action has emerged as the tool of choice for the Department of Homeland Security to provide some form of status and stability for millions of immigrants. Benach Collopy attorneys have been using deferred action for over a decade to stop removals and obtain some relief for hundreds of deserving immigrants.

Benach Collopy has been involved in efforts to obtain immigration benefits for DREAMers for several years. Benach represented Walter Lara, one of the first DREAMers to obtain deferred action and whose case became a model of legal strategy and activism that has come to define the DREAMer cause.

Are you prepared if ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) investigators visit your place of business unannounced, and require that you provide all Forms I-9 for all employees within 3 days? The penalties for lack of preparation could be severe, even criminal.

Benach Collopy attorneys have experience in all types of employment-based visas, assisting individuals, corporations, and non-profits navigate the alphabet soup of temporary visas and obtain permanent residence in the U.S. for themselves or talented employees. U.S. immigration law provides about 140,000 immigrant visas every year for employment-based immigration.

Expedited naturalization is available to certain spouses of U.S. citizens who are employed outside the United States. Whereas most naturalization applicants must demonstrate residence in the U.S. for either 3 or 5 years after obtaining lawful permanent residence (a “green card”), and physical presence in the U.S.

Preserving family unity is a fundamental purpose of U.S. immigration law, but many families face significant challenges on the road to joyful unification. Benach Collopy attorneys have extensive experience navigating the complex process of uniting family members in the U.S. Like many other areas of immigration law, the preparation of family-based petitions depends upon our ability to tell your story. 

Benach Collopy is a national leader in immigration litigation in the federal courts. Benach Collopy attorneys have litigated complex matters in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. District Courts throughout the United States. When you decide to bring your case to federal court, you want a lawyer with the depth of knowledge and years of experience needed to achieve a successful outcome.

The provisional waiver process has revolutionized immigration law. Whereas the spouses of United States citizens who entered the country illegally and wished to fix their immigration status had to travel to their home country and risk not being able to come back for ten years, the provisional waiver has been able to take a lot of the risk out of this process for thousands of families.

The letter in the mail look ominous. You may not understand everything it says but you know it is not good. You know what it means- the U.S. government is seeking your removal from the United States. What’s more is that there is a date for you to appear somewhere.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States passed strict laws to prevent foreign nationals who belong to terrorist organizations, or are involved in terrorist activities, from obtaining visas or entering the country. The so-called Terrorism Related Inadmissibility Grounds (TRIG) at section 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act are extremely broad, covering not only membership in or support for any designated terrorist group, but also mere association with any undesignated terrorist group – commonly referred to as “Tier III” organizations.

Many immigrants who have been victims of crime, domestic violence, or human trafficking do not report these crimes to law enforcement authorities out of fear that interaction with law enforcement will jeopardize their ability to remain in the United States. In some cases, this fear causes immigrants to remain in abusive relationships or working environments, or not to seek law enforcement assistance or medical attention when they need it most, compounding the problem.

Benach Collopy attorneys have extensive experience in obtaining waivers of inadmissibility for our clients.  Like many other areas of immigration law, the preparation of a successful waiver depends upon our ability to tell your story.  At Benach Collopy, we take the time and interest to learn about you, your family, and those factors that will make up a successful waiver application.  And then, we tell your story.

Getting arrested by the police is always a frightening and sobering experience.  But for immigrants, the risks of conviction of crime not only include prison time, but also expulsion from the United States.  The time to seek immigration counsel is the time of arrest and not when Immigration & Customs Enforcement seeks to initiate detention and deportation proceedings.