The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was signed into existence by President Obama in June 2012. It was always meant as a stopgap measure to help young people brought into the country as children and are now in a precarious situation — raised as Americans but without legal residency or citizenship — until Read more about DACA Update: Where the Program Stands Now[…]
If you are applying for a marriage based green card, you can expect to be called in for an interview with a USCIS officer. The purpose of this interview is to verify the information on your application and to confirm that your marriage is genuine. This can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it is important Read more about What to Expect from the Marriage-Based Green Card Interview[…]
The big news this month is continuing delays of application processing at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), according to an annual report by the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. In short, backlogs right now are the worst USCIS has seen in its history. The report states, “adjudication backlogs have never been this systemic nor Read more about July 2022 Newsletter[…]
The Department of State (DOS) publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin that lists the availability of immigrant visas by preference category for applicants chargeable to each region and country of birth. The Visa Bulletin also indicates when immigrant visa numbers will become available for applicants with approved priority dates in pending petitions, as well as provides Read more about How to Read the Visa Bulletin[…]
Public Charge Rule Update This month, USCIS updated its public charge resources webpage with more information to help better inform immigrants about obtaining access to critical government services available to them. As a reminder, under the Biden administration, USCIS reverted to a less strict interpretation of the public charge rule, which means that immigration applicants Read more about June 2022 Newsletter[…]
Conditional permanent residency is required for a few different residency options. One of the most common is for a person who has just married a United States citizen, and now has conditional residence until the marriage is proven to be legitimate. What is Conditional Permanent Residency? A conditional permanent resident has received a lawful permanent Read more about The Purpose of Conditional Permanent Residency and How To Remove Conditional Status[…]
USCIS is being sued for unreasonable delays with applications Long waiting times have always been a part of the application process for United States residency or naturalization. But since the COVID pandemic hit, delays have been even longer and more unpredictable. Now, 13 people waiting for their citizenship applications to be processed have filed a Read more about May 2022 Newsletter[…]
Navigating the transition to a new life in a different country is an intimidating task. Trying to make sense of the different distinctions and requirements can feel insurmountable, but we are here to help you. We can help you figure out what you need to do to attain citizenship while complying with the legal precedents Read more about What is the Difference Between Naturalization and Citizenship?[…]
Spring is finally here, though the weather has been all over the place this month. It wouldn’t be Chicago otherwise! Here are a few immigraiton updates to keep in mind this month: Online Filing for DACA Renewal Forms United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that DACA participants wishing to renew their status can Read more about April 2022 Newsletter[…]
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 was a groundbreaking federal law that aimed to protect victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. The act is renewed every five years to grow funding for programs and resources and assess the scope of coverage. The VAWA Act protects non-citizens, enabling spouses suffering from domestic abuse Read more about Frequently Asked Questions About Filing a VAWA Case[…]