Does anyone know what the penalty is for lying to U.S. Immigration to obtain benefits after being naturalized?

Question

It's not me. A friend is looking for information to report his now ex-wife who married him to get into the country. She got her citizenship without his knowledge.

I was just curious what would happen to her. Would she be deported if she has a child who was born here and is a U.S. Citizen? I'm hoping so, because she's unfit and has lied since day 1.

She stole his passport and presented it at her interview while they were in process of divorce. He spends a good deal of time out of country due to job. She was putting too much pressure on him to bring her family here too and he refused. So she filed for divorce.

I seriously doubt if she told INS that she was in process of divorce. She denied to police that she stole passport, but we just found out today that she needed to have it at the interview. So when he meets with them if the dates of the theft and her interview match... he also recently found out that she lied on her initial application for green card to come here when they married. They were married in her country.

He was not at work when she took his passport. He reported it stolen and she denied any involvement when he suspected her. He had to apply for a new one. We just found out today from INS that she needed his birth certificate or passport to present at her naturalization interview. He only found out this week that she got her citizenship. Put 2 & 2 together and you realize that she did take his passport. Their divorce was final last week. They were married 5 years when she filed for divorce. He consulted an immigration attorney when he suspected she used him to get in the country after she filed for divorce, but he was advised not to pursue it at that time beause it could hurt him in divorce.

Answer 1

If USCIS finds out, they might start proceedings against you. You are under oath and if you lied, then what you did was perjury. You can be de-naturalized and stripped of your citizenship. (And yes, people who are not natural born citizens can be de-naturalized, especially someone who naturalized through fraud and misrepresentation)

I'm sorry to hear that. Well there is a great chance that she could get deported. And be cause she lied to get her papers, there's a good chance too that your friend will get custody, seeing as the wife is morally unfit to raise the child.

Answer 2

Now, any person that marries US citizen have to live with that person for at least 3 years, and believe me, no one can just go there to INS and present a passe port to obtain citizenship. The paperwork and procedure can go as long as two years until the ceremony, not to forget the citizenship test, fingerprinting and fees which need to be paid...I can hardly believe that the husband did not realize that. And lets say she got the citizenship illegal way there are ways to have that citizenship revoked. As far as having this person deported it would not work that easy, she will face criminal charges if proved guilty and serve some prison time.
And how the heck did he travel out of country without his passport?

Look up here:

Answer 3

if she is naturalized than she is now a citizen. I think you might mean that she is a resident? This means that she has a green card. With a green card she is within her legal rights to seek benefits, however, if she hasn't worked there might not be much she can get. I suggest that your friend contact an immigration atty to see what his options are, but if he divorced her after 2 years there isn't much he can do. Sounds like he got used!!

Answer 4

US Constitution prohibits revoking one's citizenship. Once you're a citizen, you're a citizen. Now, if there is material evidence against her (i.e. application falsification, while signed under oath), she can be prosecuted for perjury, but they will not take her citizenship away.
What I really want to know is how someone gets a citizenship without spouse's knowledge, considering the amount of time, money, and work that it takes to perform the task.