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.
Stone Harbor is a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. It shares the barrier island, Seven Mile Island with its northern neighbor Avalon. Development began in the late 19th century as a beach resort along a railroad line which has since been replaced by a traffic island along the length of Second Avenue. It continues as a resort community for visitors enjoying beaches and a thriving commercial center centered along 96th Street and 2nd Avenue, bringing in a summer population in excess of 20,000. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a year-round population of 1,128. In 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Stone Harbor (08247) as #47 on its list of the most expensive zip codes in the United States, based on median home sale prices. As of 2001, Worth Magazine put Stone Harbor at #101 on its list of the Richest Towns in America, which was based on median annual real estate prices. Most vacationers come from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Quebec. It was ranked the tenth best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Stone Harbor was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 3, 1914, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 28, 1914. The borough gained a portion of Avalon on December 27, 1941.