Margaret A. Donnelly, P.C.


Dallas Office:
214.630.9511

Ft. Worth Office: 817.984.6404
Houston Office: 281.407.2755

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A Permament Resident is not a U.S. Citizen

Many U.S. citizens who oppose immigration in all its forms don’t understand how the U.S. immigration system works. Most believe that undocumented immigrants automatically become U.S. citizens when they arrive in the United States or become legal immigrants. Therefore, for the purpose of shedding some light on the issue, let me begin by stating that there is a huge difference between an “undocumented” immigrant and a “legal” immigrant, and between a “legal” immigrant and a U.S. citizen.

All legal immigrants who eventually become U.S. citizens have to start at ground zero. This is the status of being an alien, a citizen of another country who is granted the right to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. The new status is known as “Lawful Permanent Residence,” or LPR. LPR doesn’t change the citizenship of the alien. For instance, someone from France retains his French citizenship although he has a right to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely as long as he doesn’t abandon his residence in the U.S. Living in France for eight months out of the year is treated as an abandonment of his LPR status.

The Secret About NAFTA Professional Visas

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) offers Mexican and Canadian professionals the opportunity to work in the United States. The category is known as the “TN visa.” The TN visa, however, has been widely ignored by U.S. businesses because they became accustomed to the more cumbersome H-1B visa, another category for foreign professional workers.

What U.S. businesses don’t know is that the TN offers many advantages over the H-1B visa. For instance, the TN visa includes more professions than the H-1B, and there is no time limit whereas the H-1B can be used for up to six years. Another advantage is a fast track feature for Canadian professionals who can apply for the visa at a U.S. port of entry without going through a U.S. consulate.

Bring back 245i

The price this U.S. family is paying for wanting to legalize the status of Jose, a 30-year-old man who is Irene’s husband and the father of three, ages two, five and eight, is too much to bear. The real victims are the members of this family, all U.S. citizens who will likely become dependent on the government because Irene can’t make ends meet with her salary as a receptionist. Besides pushing her household under the poverty line, with just one parent, the kids aren’t properly disciplined or supervised. A potentially successful story has turned into a nightmare.