Southern California's Premier Law Firms Series - The Law Offices of Judith Wood & Jesse Moorman
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 Judy Wood and Amina Diaz discuss many of today's hot immigration topics on immigration like Service or Relationship with the U.S. issues. Some of the special immigrant classifications are based on either prior service to the United States or a special relationship with the U.S. These classifications include employees of the U.S. government abroad, international organization officers and employees, noncitizen members of the U.S. military and certain residents and employees of the Panama Canal Zone. For each of these special immigrant classifications, eligibility criteria must be met before status can be granted. Judy and Amina also cover issues that affect all Illegal Entrants and Immigration Violators. Certain people are "inadmissible" for purposes of entry into the United States, either as an immigrant or as a visitor. There are many reasons why a person could be considered inadmissible to receive a visa and enter the United States, including that the person has already entered the United States illegally or has committed another violation of the immigration laws. This category of inadmissibility may be subject to "waiver" upon the meeting of certain requirements as determined by the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS), and applicable immigration regulations. In general, someone who has entered the United States without going through the proper immigration channels, such as a smuggler or stowaway, is inadmissible. There are exceptions to this rule, such as battered women and children. In addition, people who entered the United States through the immigration channels but falsified documents or misrepresented the facts are inadmissible. They share the personal story with one of their clients, who appear on the show, Antonio Guiterrez-Pedroza and his family, who through Judy's offices, applied for a "Cancellation of Removal" and were eventually successful in qualifying for this "Cancellation of Removal". The Guiterrez-Pedroza's are now permanent residents of the U.S. Judy and Amina also discuss their other important Project: Human Rights Project http://www.hrproject.org This project provides legal assistance to no or low-income victims of human rights abuses. They assist individuals and families who have been persecuted because of their race, religion, political opinion, gender, sexual orientation, or other status. They believe every human life is valuable and is deserving of basic human rights. The Human Rights Project represents clients worldwide including recently troubled countries such as Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Sierra Leone, China, North Korea, India, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Russia, and numerous others. Their attorneys have significant experience in immigration, asylum, and international law. The Human Rights Project has won major victories to advance human rights issues of refugees within the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals in the United States. To contact Judy Wood and Amina Diaz, please call 213-680-7801 or visit their website @ http://www.wood-moorman.com |