New Jersey families who have emigrated from other countries understand how challenging it can be to adapt to life in the United States. Many have set immigration and naturalization goals for themselves, hoping to one day become U.S. citizens. For those who have sought asylum, they must live in the United States for at least one year after obtaining their legal status before they can apply for permanent residency.

Obtaining a green card is one of the first steps to take in the path toward citizenship. This is because having a green card is a prerequisite for applying to become a U.S. citizen. The asylum process can be quite complicated, and there is no guarantee that it will be granted or that the individual will ultimately obtain a green card. A mother and her daughters are currently navigating the asylum process in another state.

The woman and her daughters have reportedly been on the run for the past 13 years after escaping gang violence in their country of origin. Because the woman's eldest daughter is age 18, U.S. immigration officers detained her separately from the rest of her family. They are also treating her asylum case as a separate issue.

The family was recently reunited and celebrated with members of their new community. Immigrant advocates are trying to assist them in the immigration and naturalization process, in particular to request that the teenager's case be counted as one and the same with the rest of her family. For immigrants in this state, such goals are often easier to accomplish when support is enlisted from an experienced New Jersey attorney who is well-versed in U.S. immigration law.