Jessica Martinez

For Pastor Jesse Acosta, life in America began without documentation. “I came illegally,” he said, “living with a friend in East Los Angeles in 1969.” His journey to where he is now—an American citizen serving as the pastor of a thriving church in Lexington, River of Life Church of God—is an inspiring example of immigration in this country. “After living here for a while,” he said, “I began to love this country, their way of living, and the people here.” But despite his growing love for life here

Green Cards—also known as permanent resident cards—allow people to live and work permanently in the United States. At Martinez Immigration Law PLLC we have experience helping clients become permanent residents in all eligibility categories. Currently in the United States, Green Cards are most often granted through the first category—Green Card through Family.

The phone rang on the other end--once, twice, three times. Maybe she wasn't home. I hoped she wasn't home. This was the call I'd been dreading.

"Miss, are children in America like us?" The question caught me off guard. I looked at the sea of dark faces staring intently at me and paused, knowing that the subject had to be broached carefully. The last think I wanted to do was reinforce their negative views. Influenced by the biased British media and the negative attitudes in their homes, my students had great difficulty reconciling what they thought they knew about Americans with the American that stood in front of them every day. Normal me. Neither valley girl nor warmonger, I was beyond perplexing.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an immigration policy that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. It is not a path to citizenship. It is, however, valid for two years and can be renewed at the end of that two-year period. Recipients are also eligible for employment authorization documents. DACA recipients are sometimes called Dreamers, after the Dream Act (which was not passed into law). First put into place eight years ago,

Almost all non-U.S. citizens must have an Employment Authorization Document (or EAD, commonly known as a “work permit” or “work authorization”) to legally work in the United States. There are some exceptions—for example, if you have asylum, you may obtain a work permit but are not required to have one to work, or if you have a green card, that functions as your work permit. By law, U.S. employers must have proof that you are authorized to work before they can employ you. This depends on whether

Family-based petitions are at the heart of American immigration policy, and also at the heart of our firm. In every family-based petition there is a petitioner and a beneficiary. The petitioner is the U.S. citizen or green card holder who is petitioning for his/her foreign relative to receive a green card (or fiancé visa). The beneficiary is the foreign relative receiving the green card. There are two types of family-based petitions, and number of categories that fall under each.

A fiancé visa is available to a foreigner intending to marry a U.S. citizen in the U.S. Also known as a K-1 visa, the fiancé visa is a family-based petition, the first step towards citizenship for the foreign fiancé. Things to keep in mind: the marriage must take place within 90 days of entering the country, and the marriage must be bona fide. This means it must be a real marriage and not one entered into for the purpose of getting a green card.

The process of becoming a U.S. citizen, also known as naturalization, is a significant step in the immigration journey. If you are a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) and would like to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, Martinez Immigration Law PLLC can help.