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Immigration and Nationality Law

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Carlo Franco L. Borja is a licensed attorney in California and is authorized to represent clients in immigration matters nationwide. Based in Southern California, the immigration law firm serves clients mainly in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and Riverside County including, but not limited to: Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Avalon, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Carson, Cerritos, Claremont, Commerce, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte, Eagle Rock, El Monte, El Segundo, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Huntington Park, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Habra, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lawndale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Palmdale, Palos Verdes, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Redondo Beach, Rosemead, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Temple City, Torrance, Vernon, Walnut, West Covina, Hollywood, Westlake Village, Whittier, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Stanton, Tustin, Westminster, Adelanto, Chino, Chino Hills, Colton, Fontana, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, San Bernardino, Upland, Victorville, Corona, Eastvale, Hemet, Indio, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley. Murrieta, Norco, Perris, Palm Springs, Riverside, Temecula and surrounding areas. Filipino Immigration lawyer representing clients in all US states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. 

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US Citizenship through MAVNI

A lawful permanent resident of the United States (ie. green card holder) may acquire U.S.  Citizenship by applying for Naturalization. In order to qualify, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old at the time of filing;
  

• Be a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application (Note that applicants married to U.S. citizens only need to be green card holders for at least 3 years and should additionally establish that they been living in marital union with the same U.S. citizen spouse, who has been a U.S. citizen during all of such period);
  

• Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application;
  

• Have continuous residence in the United States as a green card holder for at least 5 years (3 years for those married to U.S. Citizens) immediately preceding the date of filing the application;
  

• Be physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years (18 months out of the 3 years for those married to U.S. Citizens) immediately preceding the date of filing the application;
  

• Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization up to the time of naturalization;
  

• Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (civics);
  

• Be a person of good moral character.
  

For purposes of establishing continuous residence as stated above, absences of more than 6 months but less than 1 year may disrupt an applicant’s continuous residence unless the applicant proves otherwise. Moreover, an applicant who has been outside of the U.S. for 1 year or more and did not apply for a reentry permit may be considered to have abandoned permanent residence status.

Applying for naturalization may seem like a simple task of filling out forms. However, the requirements above have legal definitions under U.S. immigrations laws so an applicant’s eligibility should first be carefully examined before proceeding. In fact, in some instances, the applicant may already be a U.S. citizen without them knowing such as when they have automatically derived U.S. citizenship from their parents. Moreover, certain acts or criminal offenses of the applicant may lead to disqualification or even being placed in removal proceedings. Therefore, it is but prudent to seek advice from a licensed immigration attorney before applying.

If you are interested in applying for Naturalization, feel free to contact the Law Office
of Carlo Borja so we can assist you in the process.