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.
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the state's most affluent municipality (per household median income) based on Census 2000 data. The population was 9,068 at the 2000 census. A residential and resort area situated on the southern shore of Casco Bay just south of Portland, Maine, Cape Elizabeth is home to Crescent Beach State Park and Two Lights State Park. Cape Elizabeth is the location of the Beach to Beacon 10-kilometer road race that starts at Crescent Beach State Park (the "beach") and ends at Portland Head Light (the "beacon"). This road race attracts world-renowned runners and was founded by 1984 Olympics marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson who grew up in Cape Elizabeth. Cape Elizabeth is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.