It is easy for you to panic when facing deportation threats. You feel like you have no other option but to leave the country and bid goodbye to the place you called home for years. Before you lose hope, you need to know what your options are. It is not yet over for you at this point. There are legal options available for you.
Apply for citizenshipÂ
Immigrants cannot apply for citizenship unless they already have permanent resident status. Therefore, if you are already a resident, you can take it a step further by asking for citizenship. The state could revoke your status if you violated any condition of being a permanent resident. However, if you could prove that you did nothing wrong while applying for citizenship, you have a strong shot at winning. Besides, you are also buying time by starting your naturalisation process.
If you have a conviction, it might be difficult for you to stay. The only way to get out of it is if you proved that you did nothing wrong years after the conviction.
Challenge criminal convictionsÂ
If you are legally staying in the UK with the necessary documents to prove your status, you have nothing to worry about. It only becomes a problem if you have criminal convictions. You could either face jail time in the UK or prepare for deportation. The best option is to challenge the sentence. You could appeal to higher courts to overturn the results in the lower courts. There is a chance for the reversal of the conviction or the lowering of the judgment to a sentence that does not require removal from the country.
Defeat the grounds for removalÂ
If you receive a deportation letter, you can challenge the letter in court. By proving that you did nothing wrong, you will have a chance to stay. You will not receive a threat of deportation unless you got caught doing criminal activity. For serious felonies like drug-related crimes, you will most likely end up getting removed from the country. For other crimes that are less serious, you can ask for a hearing to state your case.
Apply for adjustmentÂ
Even if you are currently not a legal resident of the country and you are already up for deportation, you can still save yourself by seeking an adjustment of status. The most common grounds include marrying someone who is a British citizen, a child who is British or a parent who is British. You need the family member to file the papers for you.
Hire the best lawyersÂ
Regardless of the path you opt to pursue related to the deportation threat, you need someone to be there with you. It helps to have the best immigration lawyers by your side to give you legal advice. You will feel lost and confused without their help. Ask for an initial consultation and determine where it leads you. Follow the advice of your lawyer, and you could still salvage the situation.
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