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.
Novi is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 47,386. In 2007, the city completed a special census which places the current population at 52,231. The city is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest from the center of Detroit. The city is located within the boundaries of the survey township of Novi Township. Presently, the remaining unincorporated township is only a tiny fraction surrounded by the city. Novi is one of the fastest growing cities in Michigan. The construction of Twelve Oaks Mall in the 1970s made the city a major shopping destination in the Detroit metropolitan area and is often credited with ushering in an era of growth that continues to this day (although, in fact, the community had been growing rapidly since the 1950s). This growth has led to substantial increases in the city's population, as well as commercial and industrial developments in the city. Since the city is a shopping destination for the metropolitan area, the community has become increasingly affluent and developed in recent years.