After a long wait, the United States Supreme Court finally announced last week that it is blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. Immigrants and immigration advocates around the country have been eagerly awaiting the decision, and now it seems we are all finally receiving some (rare) good Read more about Supreme Court: DACA Program is Safe, For Now[…]
Are you applying for your United States passport? If so, this is an exciting process, but there are a few things to watch out for. Here is our overview of the process. If you are applying from within the United States: You must apply in person using Form DS-11 if at least one of the Read more about Requirements for Obtaining Your United States Passport[…]
As you may have heard in the news, a couple of weeks ago President Trump made a declaration suspending many channels of legal immigration into the United States, effective as of April 23rd. It expires after 60 days, but “can be continued as necessary”. The President is unjustifiably using the pandemic as an excuse to Read more about The President Just Suspended Legal Immigration to the United States: What You Need to Know[…]
If you have committed crimes in the past, the fact is that you are going to have a hard time applying for permanent residency in the United States. With that being said, the system does allow applicants to file a Waiver of Inadmissibility, Form I-601, in hopes that your criminal history can be explained in Read more about Criminal Waivers for Immigration: What You Need to Know[…]
At the end of January, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services made an announcement about a change in how they will be accepting the popular form, Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The change was rolled out as a way to “increase efficiencies”. Basics on Form I-130 The form is used by United States citizens Read more about Recent Changes on Petitioning Relatives from Abroad[…]
We have talked at length about the new public charge rule implemented by the Trump administration to put tighter restrictions on who is eligible for permanent residence. As of February this year, despite a number of legal challenges, the rule is now fully in effect. Definitions in the Final Rule The final rule defines “public Read more about The Public Charge Rule Is Now In Effect: How Applicants Can Prepare[…]
Once you are a lawful permanent resident, you can exit and enter the United States as you please, right? You may be surprised to find that is not quite the case. There are two travel scenarios that could actually jeopardize your permanent resident status: If you are absent from the United States for more than Read more about Everything You Need to Know About Reentry Permits[…]
If we had to characterize the handling of standard immigration-related applications during the Trump administration, we would have to say that it has been a boondoggle of delays, increased fees, and general uncertainty. Some of this may be intentional, because a system of immigration that patrons cannot trust ultimately discourages participation. Here are the issues Read more about USCIS Updates for 2020: Status of Processing Delays, New Forms for E-filing, Increased Fees[…]
Since we last discussed the 2020 presidential election, quite a few of the Democratic candidates (12 of 24) have dropped out of the race. This is probably a good thing, as it enables the electorate to focus on the candidates that actually have a chance to be elected. Here is an overview of the candidates Read more about Presidential Candidate Immigration Proposal Update[…]
The future of the DACA program has been uncertain even since the Trump administration attempted to rescind it on September 5th, 2017. At first, USCIS stopped accepting renewal applications, and many DACA participants were justifiably very worried about their future. Then, three separate federal courts issued orders in early 2018 for the program to continue Read more about What DACA Participants Should Do Now[…]