Craig Edward Kennedy's Answers

Foreign Travel during N-400 Naturalization process

It is ALWAYS recommended that you REMAIN in the United States during the Naturalization Process. That way, NO questions can be raised about your application. However, you have been granted the right to permanently reside in the United States, even as a foreign national pending Naturalization as a United States Citizen. This process does require that prior to filing your Naturalization Petition for United States Citizenship, you must reside in the United States for at least three continuous...

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Filed a claim against city of seattle due to sewer backup and their risk management will pay only 50% of my claim.

First stop on this journey is your homeowners insurance policy. What rights do you have left once you've subrogated your rights to make claims for damages to your home to your insurer? Please check this out with your agent first before you go any further. Next, assuming you have authority to make a claim, it's the responsibility of the City to prove another 'third-party-defendant' put the oil in the line and that they -the third party- should pay the damages and not them. And since the City...

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Loud neighbors in apartment building

This is one of the best written questions I have yet to encounter on Avvo. Are you sure you're not an English teacher? Here's the short answer: most residential leases include a liquidated damages clause in which you can pay a pre-determined sum of money (usually a large percentage of one month's rent..) and vacate the apartment with the knowledge and approval of the landlord. You almost always lose your security deposit as well. And, if this isn't bad enough, you might just have a...

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Filed a claim against city of seattle due to sewer backup and their risk management will pay only 50% of my claim.

I need to also mention that there are notice statutes if you plan to file an action against a government body in Washington State. You are also time limited in not only filing that notice with the right authority, there are also absolute time limits you must meet or the courts will not hear your suit - usually three years from the date of the incident. Therefore it is absolutely imperative you obtain good local counsel to start laying the foundation for a suit. Good luck!

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Removal/Deportation Master Hearing

Simply put, you already know the charges you are facing in your Order to Show Cause and subsequent documents. Your hearing before the immigration judge will be limited to just a few issues, depending upon ICE's reason for removal. It is at that point AND NOT LATER, that you need to make the best argument you can to remain. Once DHS has gotten you through that hearing and you have lost, appeals become more expensive and progressively more difficult to obtain a positive outcome. There...

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Immigration between USA and Canada

It sounds like you already know the process to enable your new American wife to get her Maple Leaf Card (Permanent Residence) in Canada. I assume you already have a solicitor to assist her processing of your documents, etc. I assume you know the immigration Canada website : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp So, now crossing the border into the United States is going to be interesting to say the least. There's really no one way to deal with this problem, but here's a strategy that works...

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Do you have to file a will at the court house? How can you get a copy of a will if it isn't.

Well, you've pointed out that your husband's grandmother and grandfather '...died a few years ago..' So, whatever happened with the grandparent's real property? Where was their will probated? In Portland, Oregon? Vancouver, Washington, etc.? And who pays the property taxes right now on the real estate you mentioned? Have you looked through the real estate deeds where the real estate is located? Have you completed a probate search in those regions? Really, if you've looked and haven't found...

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Driver's License suspended

Washington DOL should honor the suspension placed on your driving privileges. Frankly, you need to know the reason(s) for the suspensions in those states before you will know how to clear them up. Usually, people discover that the payment of a fine or going through a reinstatement process such as filing an SR-22 or other administrative proceeding can lift the suspension in the other jurisdiction. Once cleared, Washington will issue your license. If you know which state currently has the hold...

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Drafted into service?

As a general response to this question, the answer would be 'no'. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution would prohibit an action by a judge to coerce service.

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Optaining Citizenship

Your friend or someone may have been referring to the Children's Citizenship Act of 2000 [ 8 U.S.C. sec 1433] that would allow a child, under the age of 18 years, to petition for citizenship based on a grandparent's citizenship and time spent in the United States under and over the age of 14 . However, it sounds like you are over the age of 18. If you're not over 18, please look for the particulars on the USCIS web site. Here's the link: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

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