CORONA VIRUS / COVID-19 ADVISORY

Due to the health risks posed by the Corona Virus tragedy, our office is following the directives of the governor of California in order to minimize the risks to our staff, our clients and our community. Our office will continue to operate fully, as it has thus far, observing our normal schedule, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We will continue to schedule appointments to meet with clients and will do this via ZOOM or Telephone only.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with any of our lawyers or staff members, please do so by calling our office at 619-291-1112. You can also contact us via e-mail at [email protected]janbejar.com

Thank you for your understanding.

AVISO DE CORONA VIRUS / COVID-19

Debido a los riesgos para la salud planteados por la tragedia del Virus Corona, nuestra oficina está siguiendo las directivas del gobernador de California para minimizar los riesgos para nuestro personal, nuestros clientes y nuestra comunidad. Nuestra oficina seguirá funcionando a pleno, como lo ha hecho hasta ahora, cumpliendo con nuestro horario habitual, de lunes a viernes de 8:30 a.m. a 5:30 p.m. Continuaremos programando citas para reunirnos con los clientes y lo haremos solo a través de ZOOM o por teléfono.

Si desea programar una cita con alguno de nuestros abogados o miembros del personal, hágalo llamando a nuestra oficina al 619-291-1112. También puede contactarnos por correo electrónico a [email protected]

Gracias por su comprensión.

Resolving Immigration ProblemsIn An Honest & Responsible Manner

A hard path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

Few options are available to people who want to become legal residents who arrive without documentation from Mexico to California for work and, or business related purposes. Many immigrants come to California seeking cheap labor jobs. They often come here alone hoping to become legal residents, and they often arrive without documentation, thereby needing to acquire citizenship.

For many undocumented immigrants, the only way to gain citizenship is to have a close relative who is a U.S. citizen or be married to a U.S. citizen. Even with this type of family connection, many undocumented residents face a difficult immigration process.

Immigrating to California from Mexico can be scary and sometimes very dangerous. Not only did many undocumented immigrants face harrowing experiences to get to the U.S. originally, the process to become a legal resident can also be risky. Undocumented immigrants from Mexico must go to Ciudad Juarez as part of their petition of legal residency.

The trip to Juarez can be frightening for many reasons. First, Juarez is well-known for the drug violence that has taken over the city in recent years. Returning there means facing that violence.

Additionally, undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States for more than a year face an automatic 10 year “penalty” if they leave. They are required to go back to Mexico, but that trip could result in being denied entry to the U.S. for another 10 years.

Thankfully, there is a way to avoid the 10 year penalty waiting period. The U.S. citizen family member can apply for a hardship waiver. For example, an undocumented immigrant whose spouse is a U.S. citizen may be raising small children. Perhaps the couple owns a business together. Or maybe the undocumented immigrant is caring for an ailing relative in the United States. All of these situations could lead to a waiver of the 10 year penalty.

Source: Gtweekly.com, Border Crossings, Jessi Hamel, 11 May, 2011

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We are open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

For our clients’ convenience we offer English and Spanish speaking services.