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.
Linwood is a small unincorporated community in the northern portion of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is on the boundary between Fraser Township on the north and Kawkawlin Township on the south. M-13 passes to the west and the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron is on the east. Bay City is about 12 miles to the south and Linwood is included in the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area is three miles to the north while the Tobico Marsh is three miles to the south. Both are popular places for bird observation and the Wildlife Area is popular with seasonal waterfowl hunters. The settlement began as "Terry's Station", a depot on the Mackinaw division of the Michigan Central Railroad, named for James G. Terry, the head of a local lumber company. He was the first postmaster of a post office named "Terry Station", which opened on February 21, 1872. The office closed on February 16, 1874, but was reestablished on June 6, 1877. On June 28, 1882, the name was changed to Linwood, derived from a combination of the words "line" and "wood", since it was on the line between two different townships and it was also heavily wooded. The railroad station was renamed "Linwood Park". The Linwood post office has ZIP code 48634 and serves the northern portions of Kawkawlin Township and Beaver Township and the southern portions of Fraser Township and Garfield Township. At the 2000 census, the population of the Zip Code Tabulation Area for 48634 was 4,684. Every August, the Pickle Festival is held in Linwood.