Federal immigration law determines whether a person is an alien and has the legal rights, duties, and obligations of aliens in the United States. It also provides means by which certain aliens can become lawful permanent residents and naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship. Immigration law determines who may enter, how long they may stay and if and when they must leave.

The mission of Banks and Morris, P.A. is to help every person who is pursuing the dream of coming to the United States. We believe our country's strength lies in its diversity. We seek to:

     -Develop legal and ethical strategies and provide outstanding service to every client, with a commitment to excellence;

     -Empathize with each client throughout the complex immigration process, understand their dreams, and celebrate their joys and successes;

     -Foster a positive and team-oriented work environment, where our mutual respect for each other and our excitement for our work is shared with our clients; and

     -Educate our clients and the immigrant community with our continually expanding, cutting-edge knowledge of immigration laws and regulations.

Immigration Legal Terms

Alien - A person who is not a citizen of the country. 2) in the United States any person born in another country to parents who are not American and who has not become a naturalized citizen.

Citizen - Person who by place of birth, nationality of one or both parents, or by going through the naturalization process has sworn loyalty to a nation.

Deportation - The act of expelling a foreigner from a country, usually because he/she has a criminal record, committed a crime, lied on his/her entry documents, is in the country illegally or his/her presence is deemed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Illegal Immigrant - An alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa. See also: alien