New Jersey Immigration Lawyer – December 2015 Memo
Congratulations to the many clients who we have helped become green card holders & citizens this past year!
We hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and had the opportunity to reflect upon the good things we have in our lives: our health, the food on our table, the roof over our heads, our freedom, and our friends, friendships and communities.
Thank you for your business and friendship!
CITIZENSHIP FOR U.S. MILITARY SPOUSES AND CHILDREN
If a U.S. citizen is a member of the U.S. armed forces, there are citizenship opportunities for his/her non-citizen spouse and children. To be eligible for expedited naturalization, the non-citizen spouse must be over 18 years old, prove that their spouse is deployed abroad as a service member, be in the U.S. at the time of naturalization, be able to read, write, and speak basic English, express the intent to live abroad with their spouse during deployment and then live in the U.S. following military service, among other requirements. Some permanent resident spouses may be eligible for overseas naturalization and can visit the USCIS website for further requirements. For a child of a military member to be eligible for overseas naturalization so that they would not have to travel to the U.S. for the naturalization process, they must meet several requirements including having at least one U.S. citizen parent and being less than 18 years old.
KATE’S LAW MAY GO TO SENATE
Senator Ted Cruz is the leader behind the controversial bill known as “Kate’s Law.” Named after Kate Steinle, the bill aims to enforce a five-year prison sentence on immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. after being deported. Ms. Steinle was fatally shot this summer by an illegal immigrant from Mexico who had previously been deported five times. The American Civil Liberties Union has been among the most outspoken opponents of the bill, noting that passing this bill would cost $3.7 billion over the next 10 years and estimating that 12 more federal prisons would need to be built to house all of those who fall under the bill’s conditions. Those in favor of the bill argue that repeat offenders of the law need this sort of punishment. The Senate has yet to vote on this bill.
IMMIGRATION REFORM UPDATE
President Obama’s Immigration Executive Action is still waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court. As it currently stands, a petition has been filed, asking the Supreme Court to hear the case. If the petition is accepted, the case would be heard this term and a decision would be delivered in June 2016. Texas had requested a 30-day delay of the Supreme Court’s petition decision, which would ultimately delay the case until June 2017! On December 1st, the Supreme Court denied the 30-day extension and allowed an 8-day extension instead, which should not delay when the case can be heard.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office!
Susan W. Scheer and Staff
