Legal Question in Immigration Law in Maryland

My boyfriend has been in this country for the last 20 years. He was legally adopted by a U.S. Citizen. However, at the age of 18 he did not take his citizenship. He has a felony (12 years ago). He has paid taxes (up til 2 years ago) and was married twice. He has three natural children to two different US citizens. We have been together for 18 months, not married. He has a lawyer for the last three years who has done absolutely nothing for him. He has no money to hire another attorney (nor do I). What options does he have? Can we marry and apply for an adjustment to his citizenship status? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Asked on 1/14/10, 6:31 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Luba Smal Smal Immigration Law Office

First of all, he needs to consult a good lawyer and establish if he is a USA citizen or not. Being adopted as a child by a US citizen, he could be a citizen already. It's not clear from your post what steps his adoptive parents had taken in order to comply with immigration laws.

Having a felony conviction (what exactly?) and not being a citizen, could make him ineligible for adjustment of status and deportable. So first of all, he needs to see if he is a citizen already.

What exactly his lawyer did for him during the last 3 years: what was filed with the USCIS, if any?

If you�d like to schedule a confidential telephone or email legal consultation, need advice or help, please let me know and I�d be glad to help you. Contact email address: Attorney [@] law-visa-usa.com or LubaSmal [@] yahoo.com . I offer legal consultations and can assist in matters of the U.S. federal immigration law to clients from all 50 States and internationally.

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 1/19/10, 6:46 pm
Marc Seguinot Seguinot & Associates, P.C.

You have not advised whether he is in immigration proceedings yet. Most important that you find a good immigration counsel to help him with his case. My office handles cases all over the country and we are based in Northern Virginia so it should be easy access for you. When you reach us, we will be able to do an assessment. I especially want to look at the possibility that your husband may have already been a citizen without knowing it. In any case, good luck!

Sinceramente,

Marc Seguinot

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Answered on 1/19/10, 9:48 pm


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