Beyond the Green Card: Naturalization
By N. Peter Antone
Special to the Chaldean News
Many Chaldeans immigrate to the United States and aspire to obtain a green card for themselves and their families; however, sometimes they forget or neglect to apply for U.S. citizenship once they qualify. This could be a huge mistake.
Traditionally, it has been rather difficult for the U.S. government to take away a green card, but more recent Acts of Congress have made it easier for them to do so.
There are several ways in which a green card holder could lose status. One is in the case of a criminal conviction. Many peaceful people assume that because they are not violent, this will never happen to them; however, the law has expanded the scope of offenses for which a green card holder could be deported. Crimes where a U.S. citizen might not spend a single day in jail could be the kind of crime that flags a case for deportation. Two convictions of offenses of a certain nature (called crimes of moral turpitude) could cause deportation, even if each is relatively minor, like shoplifting.
There are other bases for depriving someone of their green card. If someone lives outside the U.S. for an extended period of time, they could lose their green card. Imagine if a family comes to the U.S. but the parents neglect to seek naturalization. The kids could one day be employed in a position that requires a transfer to a foreign country, and suddenly it becomes a situation where after a few years of living abroad, the successful son or daughter finds themselves potentially subject to the loss of their green card.
Another way to lose status is misrepresentation in the application for a green card, even if unintentional or discovered years later. The law is written in such a way that there are numerous ways to get someone in trouble if government officials decide to be strict or unfair. For example, failure to report to the USCIS immigration service the change of address of someone holding a green card could theoretically result in their removal and deportation. And while this might never happen, the law is written in a way that if a government official decides to be strict, they could cause a lot of headaches and expenses to the targeted green card holder, even if the ultimate result is not a removal.
Legal action where the government tries to deport someone could take many years and result in tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees as well as tremendous stress and agony for those involved during the duration of the legal matter. Even if the immigrant ultimately wins, it would not be without huge expense, both physical and mental. Therefore, the safest course of action is for families who immigrate to seek naturalization and U.S. citizenship for themselves and their families once they become eligible.
It’s all about the follow-through!