Asylum
Since its founding, the United States has been a sanctuary for people persecuted in their home countries for political or other reasons. It grants asylum to refugees who satisfy certain requirements, including proving that their return home could put their lives in danger. Weisz Immigration Law Group has handled thousands of asylum requests, and Vera's early training as an attorney helping Haitian refugees gives her a unique perspective to handle these cases.
Family
Petitions
U.S. immigration law allows citizens to petition for permanent residency, on behalf of certain relatives, a move that can lead to citizenship. These relatives include spouses, children, both minors and adults, and parents and siblings, if the petitioner is over 21 years old. These petitions may require certain kinds of evidence to prove the relationship is genuine. Weisz Immigration Law Group has handled hundreds of these cases.
Deportation Defense
A person facing deportation from the United States may have a number of options in terms of a defense, including arguing that they are not deportable as charged (the government is asking to deport them for the wrong reasons). It is the government's responsibility to prove that a person is deportable, and it is the court's responsibility to let that person know what relief is available to them, if any. That is why it is crucial for people facing deportation that they have competent representation in court.
Criminal Immigration
Defense
Criminal law and immigration law are not the same thing, even though they often overlap. A person without status in the United States may face criminal charges that are related to immigration status. They may also face charges related to a crime they may be accused of that is not related to their immigration status. In either situation, having an attorney who is well-versed in both criminal and immigration law, and with where they intersect, is crucial to winning the case. Vera Weisz has that experience.
Adjustment of Status
Adjustment of status allows an eligible applicant to become a permanent resident of the United States (commonly known as getting a green card) without having to go abroad to apply for an immigrant visa. Besides receiving asylum or having a family member petition for them, there are many ways for a person to qualify for this. One may qualify through their job, through the green card lottery, through a fiancée visa, through the LIFE Act, or through receiving Special Immigrant Juvenile status. A law firm like Weisz Immigration Law Group can help decide which category is the best fit.
Cancellation of Removal
Cancellation of removal or deportation is a kind of immigration relief available to individuals who are in deportation proceedings at the discretion of the Executive Office for Immigration Review. A person’s status is adjusted from someone who is deportable to one lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Application for cancellation of removal is made at a hearing before an immigration judge. If granted cancellation, a person can apply for permanent residency. Weisz Immigration Law Group handles this process as part of a larger case or on its own.
Appeals Court Cases
Decisions by immigration judges can be appealed in a process similar to criminal court appeals. However, there are differences. The Bureau of Immigration Appeals is an administrative body that reviews decisions by immigration courts, some decisions by USCIS, and immigration arrests by CBP and ICE. BIA decisions are the final administrative step of a case. The next stage is usually the United States courts of appeals, if the statutes allow. Appellate court cases are complicated territory. Vera Weisz Law knows how to navigate all their different aspects.
Complex Cases
Weisz Immigration Law Group specializes in complex immigration cases that may have issues involving other areas of law, including criminal law, multiple administrative issues, and other concerns. She has often taken up cases that have been through several other attorneys and shepherded them to a satisfactory result. Private attorneys with cases that have complicated immigration aspects often bring in Vera Weisz Law to focus on those areas. We bring an experienced hand to these cases and treat them with the attention they deserve.
VAWA and U Visas
A person without status may qualify to stay in the U.S. legally through certain visas granted to victims of violent crimes. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows a person to petition for residency if they are a victim of domestic violence committed by a U.S. citizen. A U Visa helps a person who is victim of certain serious crimes (including some labor law violations) and cooperates with law enforcement officers in the investigation or prosecution of the crime. Vera Weisz regularly handles such petitions.
Stay of Deportation
A stay of deportation is an order prohibiting DHS from deporting an immigrant. BIA or a federal court have the discretion to grant it, and it may buy the person a year if they are making a case for overturning a deportation order. It is renewed yearly, and the person should not incur any new charges. An immigrant can file a stay of deportation personally, but the arguments needed to support it before the courts can be complex and vary according to the details of each case. Weisz Immigration Law Group regularly works on complex cases and has the expertise needed to manage this procedure.
DACA Cases
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is an Obama administration policy allowing certain undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to receive a work permit and be protected from deportation for a renewable two-year period. It is not a path to citizenship but grants certain benefits. Recipients must have arrived before their 16th birthday and before June 2007, be in school, graduated or be honorably discharged from the military, be under age 31 as of June 15, 2015, and not have been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanor. Weisz Immigration Law Group has guided many students through DACA.