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Law Offices of Edward J Cuccia concentrate on immigration, family & matrimonial law, personal injury, employment and wage law, and business law. Our lawyers and paralegals have been delivering excellent service to clients for more than 30 years. Our staff is fluent in numerous Chinese dialects (including Mandarin and Cantonese) and Spanish.
We can help you with:
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How to become a citizen of the United States (Citizenship)
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Applying for Permanent Residency (Greencard)
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We can represent you for Immigration Court Proceedings
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Federal Court and Mandamus
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Non Immigrant visas (H, L, O, R, K, etc.)
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Cases
Citizenship is the final step that one takes towards becoming a fully-integrated member of American society. Citizens can participate in the political process by exercising their right to vote, can travel overseas with a United States passport, and are able to avail themselves of a number of privileges.
Edward J Cuccia can assist you with the various applications, such as the N-400 Application for Naturalization or the N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship, and can represent you during your interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"). Edward J Cuccia prepares its clients' citizenship documents and forms, tracks their applications, and places inquiries with the USCIS.
We also conduct comprehensive English, history, civics, and literacy sessions in our unique, spacious and comfortable classroom to prepare its clients for their hearings. We maintain full-time teachers who are dedicated to providing considerate and personalized tutoring to meet the individualized requirements of our students.
If you are eligible, Edward J Cuccia can assist you with a waiver of the English literacy and naturalization test requirements by submitting a N-648 Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions.
If your case is denied, Edward J Cuccia can represent you in your administrative appeal by filing the N-336 Form.
If USCIS again denies your case, Edward J Cuccia can represent you in seeking a review of the decision with the appropriate United States District Court.
We also offer Citizenship classes
The Law Offices of Edward J Cuccia also provide Citizenship / Naturalization classes to assist you in preparing for your upcoming N-400 exams.
Obtaining lawful permanent resident status (also known as the "green card") is the most important step in the realization of a life in America. Lawful permanent resident status allows an individual to live and work permanently in the United States. There are several ways to go about obtaining a "green card."
Employment-Based Visa Petitions
The Immigration laws of the United States create an intricate lattice of "preferences," utilization of which will allow an employer to supplement his workforce with foreign employees. The employment-based preferences allow many individuals --aliens of extraordinary ability, multinational executives and managers, members of the professions, those aliens who hold degrees or possess experience as a skilled worker, or even unskilled workers -- to immigrate to the United States.
Edward J Cuccia has represented many clients in the filing and adjudication of Employment-Based Visa Petitions including the filing of PERM applications. Edward J Cuccia has assisted employers in the sponsorship of Business Executives, Accountants, Engineers, Management Information Systems Specialists, Computer Programmers, Executive Chefs and Cooks, Medical and Dental Experts and various managers such as Salon Managers, Glasscutter Managers and Cosmetologist Managers. Further, Edward J Cuccia has represented Nannies, Housekeepers and other Household Workers.
We are available to assist you in the preparation and filing of the Forms I-140 Petition for Alien Worker and the I-485 Application to Adjust Status. While these petitions and applications are pending, individuals may receive approval to work and travel. Please note that some of these benefits may entail significant risk of a denial; individuals should speak to immigration lawyers prior to accepting employment in the United States or traveling outside the United States (taking "advance parole".)
In the event that your I-140 Petition or I-485 Application to Adjust Status is denied, Edward J Cuccia can represent you in your appeal.
Family Based Petitions
Edward J Cuccia has represented a variety of clientele in the filing and adjudication of Family-Based Visa Petitions. We have assisted in the re-unification of families from all corners of the globe. Edward J Cuccia stands ready to assist in the sponsorship of husbands, wives, children, parents and siblings.
We are available to assist you in the preparation and filing of the Forms I-130 Petition for Alien Relative and the I-485 Application to Adjust Status. While these petitions and applications are pending, individuals may receive approval to work and travel. Please note that some of these benefits may entail significant risk of a denial; individuals should speak to immigration lawyers prior to accepting employment in the United States or traveling outside the United States (taking "advance parole".)
If your I-130 Petition for Alien Relative or I-485 Application to Adjust Status is denied, Edward J Cuccia can represent you in your appeal. In certain situations, Edward J Cuccia can represent you in the immigration court and federal district court to seek a reversal of USCIS's adverse decisions.
Removal of Conditional Status
If you received a conditional "green card" on the basis of your marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, your status may only be valid for two years after the issuance of the "green card." We can help you with the Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.
Special Immigrants
The Form I-360 is the petition used to file for immigration benefits for certain types of special immigrants, such as abused spouses, juveniles, and religious workers.
Asylum
Persons who are fleeing persecution and torture in their native lands can apply for asylum once they reach the United States. The I-589 Application for Asylum can be filed affirmatively with USCIS, or defensively with the Immigration Courts. If you are successful in obtaining asylum, you can petition for your relatives to join you in the United States.
We advise all prospective clients to consult us directly before an appearance in front of an Immigration Court. The government of the United States is now more ready then ever to initiate removal (formerly known as "deportation") cases against persons "out of status" in the United States. Although the prospect of these proceedings can be terrifying, with stories of midnight raids and long detentions all over the news, the beginnings of removal proceedings need not be a time of fear. In most cases the judges who staff the Immigration Courts are decent, kind, and fair people. One need only look at the statistics to understand that Immigration Judges award more green cards then issue orders of removal.
Edward J Cuccia proudly stands with its clients to defend against their deportation in appearances before the Immigration Courts. Edward J Cuccia is ready to file the full range of applications for relief, such as asylum, cancellation of removal (the fabled "10-year case"), or adjustment of status. In many cases, the best thing that ever happened to a person was the initiation of removal proceedings.
Asylum
Persons who are fleeing persecution and torture in their native lands can apply for asylum once they reach the United States. The I-589 Application for Asylum can be filed affirmatively with USCIS, or defensively with the Immigration Courts. If you are successful in obtaining asylum, you can petition for your relatives to join you in the United States.
Withholding of Removal
Withholding of Removal is very similar to asylum, but it does not lead to a "green card." However, withholding allows you the privilege to stay in the United States and to receive an employment authorization document (or "work card").
Cancellation of Removal
Cancellation of Removal (or the "ten-year case") is a form of relief that leads to a green card if you can show at least 10 years of physical presence, good moral character, and that you have a qualifying relative who is U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who will suffer extreme hardship in the event of your deportation.
Adjustment of Status
The Immigration Court can adjudicate applications to adjust status if there is an approved I-140 Petition for Alien Worker or I-130 Petition for Alien Relative.
Naturalization
The Immigration Court can remand proceedings to USCIS for a determination that you are an American citizen that cannot be deported.
Motion to Reopen
If you are eligible, we can assist you with a Motion to Reopen your removal proceedings, which can be filed to either the Immigration Court or the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Detention / ICE custody
If you or your loved one is arrested and taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") custody, please contact us immediately. We may be able to file emergency motions to reopen with the Immigration Court or the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Appeals of USCIS decisions
Should a decision on naturalization or residency be in error, Edward J Cuccia offers representation of clients before the federal district courts. We have assisted many clients in their federal cases, based upon the Administrative Procedures Act ("APA") and the Petition for Review of Naturalization Denial under 8 U.S.C. § 1421(c).
Petitions for Review
Unfortunately, not all cases succeed in front of an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals. For those unlucky to be ordered removed or deported from the United States, the federal courts offer continued hope. The federal Courts of Appeals are the ultimate "last chance" for many persons facing deportation. We can represent you in your appeal (called a "Petition for Review") to the appropriate United States Court of Appeals.
Writ of Mandamus
Many times applications become stalled. An applicant for naturalization or permanent residence often happily leaves an interview told that he or she has successfully "passed" and to simply go home and wait and that "soon, you will receive something in the mail." Instead, time passes. Sometimes months or years go by. Edward J Cuccia can help.
We can file a complaint in the appropriate federal district court seeking a writ of mandamus or a Petition for Hearing on Naturalization Decision under 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b).
Non immigrant work visas were established for people who want to enter the United States temporarily in order to work legally in a particular field.
The key word is temporarily. They are distinguishable from green cards in that nonimmigrant work visas only give a finite period of time usually from one to three years at which point the visa holder is required to either extend/change his status, or go home.
So why get a non immigrant work visa if it is only temporary? Because non immigrant visas have several advantages:
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They are substantially quicker to get, which is important when one is offered a position to commence within a month or two
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They are usually cheaper to obtain
What follows are descriptions of the work visas that we most frequently get at our firm. This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it a substitute for legal advice, so please contact us if you have specific questions (please click on each for details).