Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA)

Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA) – are services including legal assistance, advocacy, and community outreach, empowering immigrants with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of immigration laws and foster a stronger, more inclusive community.

If you are an American citizen and want to ask your partner, there are different ways to ask for it depending on where they reside. This article will focus on couples currently living in the United States.

When an American citizen asks for his or her partner, there is always a visa available for his or her partner since he or she is considered an immediate family member. This means that the family petition can be submitted to your partner and at the same time the adjustment of status petition is submitted. Obtain permanent residence is commonly known as mica. This petition can only be submitted in the United States. When the request for the mica is being made by an American embassy or consulate in another country, it is called the consular process.

Submit a petition

In order to submit a petition with adjustment of status, your partner must be eligible. The only people who can submit for adjustment of status are those who entered the United States legally with either a tourist visa or a temporary residence permit (parole). A family member may also submit for adjustment of status if he or she submitted a petition with them prior to April 2001. The way to enter the United States is a very important factor because the American government punishes everyone who enters without being inspected at an entry booth. Therefore, people who entered “illegally” cannot make an adjustment of status unless they have a pending petition submitted before April 2001.

If your partner entered the United States “legally” and married an American citizen, the family petition can be filed with the petition for the mica. At the same time, a petition is submitted for work authorization while you obtain your mica. With work permit, your partner can get a social security number and driver’s license. It is very important that the forms are filled out properly because when mistakes are made, your information may go incorrect.

Adjustment of Status

Currently, the average time to complete an adjustment of status is more than one year. This time is when the request is submitted until the interview is held. During the adjustment interview, the immigration officer will ask them about all the information they submitted on their forms. Also, since the petition is through marriage, they will ask about their courtship, marriage, and their intimate and personal life. They will be given a conditional residency for 2 years. Before 2 years it is necessary to ensure that the conditions are removed and it is also necessary to re-establish that their marriage is based on good faith and not for the purpose of receiving mika.

This migratory process tends to be long, complicated, and stressful. Lawyer Yunuen Mora of Cross Border Lawyer has submitted and represented innumerable cases of successful adjustment of status. She will be able to represent them from the beginning, explain the process to them, and answer all their doubts in the journey. She will also prepare you for the interview and accompany you in the interview.