Immigration & Citizenship
Plain-English guides to the U.S. immigration process — getting a green card, visas and temporary status, becoming a citizen, sponsoring family, asylum and humanitarian protection, immigration court and removal defense, work permits and DACA, and the inadmissibility bars and waivers that trip people up. Immigration law and policy change often, so always confirm the current rule with USCIS, the immigration court (EOIR), or a qualified immigration attorney.
Browse by situation
242 guides on green cards, visas, citizenship, family, asylum, removal defense, work permits, and waivers across 10 topics.
Green Cards & Permanent Residence
How to get and keep a green card: the paths to permanent residence, adjustment of status vs.
31 guides →Visas & Temporary Status
Coming to the U.
36 guides →Citizenship & Naturalization
Becoming a U.
25 guides →Family Immigration
Sponsoring relatives: family-based petitions and priority dates, marriage-based green cards and the interview, the affidavit of support, and bringing parents, children, and siblings.
24 guides →Asylum & Humanitarian Relief
Protection for those in danger: how asylum works, the one-year deadline, credible fear at the border, withholding and CAT, TPS, U and T visas, VAWA, and SIJS.
23 guides →Deportation & Removal Defense
Facing immigration court: what happens in removal proceedings, the Notice to Appear, immigration bond, cancellation of removal, voluntary departure, and appeals.
32 guides →Work Authorization & DACA
The right to work: getting an employment authorization document (EAD), DACA and how to renew it, advance parole and travel, and I-9 employment verification.
19 guides →Inadmissibility, Waivers & Denials
The bars that block a case and how they are overcome: grounds of inadmissibility, the 3- and 10-year unlawful-presence bars, I-601/I-601A waivers, public charge, criminal bars, and responding to an RFE or denial.
23 guides →Refugees & Humanitarian Parole
Protection and entry outside the asylum system: overseas refugee resettlement, how refugee status differs from asylum, humanitarian and significant-public-benefit parole, parole in place for military families, and green cards and travel documents for refugees and asylees.
13 guides →Navigating the Immigration System
The practical side of any immigration case: checking your case status, getting your immigration file, keeping your address current, finding legitimate low-cost help and avoiding notario fraud, fee waivers, and what the different immigration agencies actually do.
16 guides →Latest immigration guides
- Expedited Removal Explained
Expedited removal lets DHS deport some people fast, without a judge. Learn who it can apply to, the credible-fear exception, and how to respond.
- What to Do If Your Naturalization Is Denied (Form N-336)
N-400 denied? Learn your options: file Form N-336 within 30 days, ask a federal court to review, or reapply. Deadlines and steps explained.
- Deferred Action Outside of DACA Explained
Deferred action outside DACA is a discretionary, case-by-case decision not to deport someone. It's not status, and USCIS just tightened who qualifies.
- Bars to Asylum: Persecutor, Serious Crime, and Terrorism
Some bars block asylum even with a real fear of harm. Learn the persecutor, crime, terrorism, and firm-resettlement bars—and what relief may remain.
- Driving and Your Immigration Status: Driver's Licenses Explained
Whether you can get a driver's license and if it's REAL ID-compliant depends on your state - a license is never proof of immigration status.
- Naturalizing as the Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (the 3-Year Rule)
How permanent residents married to a U.S. citizen may naturalize in 3 years instead of 5, and the marital-union rules that apply.