Immigration law determines whether a person is an alien, the rights, duties, and obligations associated with being an alien in the United States, and how aliens gain residence or citizenship within the United States. It also provides the means by which certain aliens can become legally naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship. Immigration law serves as a gatekeeper for the border of the nation, determining who may enter, how long they may stay, and when they must leave. Immigration lawyers represent persons seeking temporary and permanent residency (green cards) status in the U.S., those interested in obtaining U.S. citizenship through a process called naturalization, and clients facing deportation and removal. Immigration attorneys may also represent businesses seeking to secure temporary visa status for foreign employees.
Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Route 98 between Tallahassee, Florida and Pensacola, Florida it is the largest city between Pensacola and Tallahassee. It is the larger (population-wise) of two principal cities of the Panama City-Lynn Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 36,417. It is located just east of the vacation destination of Panama City Beach. When Panama City was incorporated in 1909, its original city limits were 15th Street (Hwy 98) on the north, Balboa Avenue on the west and Bay Avenue on the east. Major employers in the Bay County area include Tyndall Air Force Base (located east of the city), the Coastal Systems Station-Naval Surface Warfare Center, Gulf Power, Arizona Chemical, Smurfit-Stone Container, Sallie Mae, and Berg Pipe. Gulf Coast Community College and a satellite campus of Florida State University offer educational opportunities. The city is served by Panama City-Bay County International Airport (PFN). It will be replaced by the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in May 2010 along with non-stop air service by Southwest Airlines to and from Orlando, Nashville, Baltimore, and Houston. It will be the first international airport designed and constructed since the September 11 attacks. In 2006, Panama City was named the best place to invest in real estate in the US by CNN's Business 2.0 magazine.