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.
Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,863 at the 2000 census and is now estaimated at approximately 8,300, as of December 2009. Much of the area within the city limits is still farmland, so that the city has a very rural feel to it. However, the city density is likely to increase substantially over the next 15 years, due to a new city plan ordered following loss of a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning authority.