Recent Blog Posts
Provisional waivers to be expanded
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced yesterday some very important news. USCIS is proposing a rule that would expand the provisional waiver program (I-601A form) which allows foreign nationals to apply for unlawful presence waivers in the Unites States instead of at an oversees embassy. This is important as a provisional waiver removes the… Read More »
Supreme Court Case Finds No Right to Judicial Review of Visa Denial to Spouse of US Citizen
In a recent opinion, Kerry v. Din, United States Supreme Court has issued a decision on a case involving the right to have a visa denial reviewed in court for citizen spouses of denied applicants. In this case, Fauzia Din, a naturalized American citizen, had married Kaniska Berashk, a citizen of Afghanistan. Berashk submitted… Read More »
Court Halts Implementation of Executive Orders on Immigration
The United States’ Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a decision upholding the stay put in place by a lower District Court. This action, while not a decision on whether the Obama Administration acted illegally in creating the new immigration policies, puts a hold on the implementation of those policies until a decision… Read More »
DAPA is not dead
On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 millions of potential applicants were disappointed when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal refused to lift an injunction preventing the government from starting the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability – DAPA program. DAPA was to have allowed parents of citizens or permanent residents to obtain deferred action, which means… Read More »
H-1B Visa Application Overload Results in Massive Lottery
A record number of applications for H-1B visas has resulted in a lottery for those slots, putting thousands of current visa-holders’ futures in jeopardy. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received approximately 233,000 applications but will hand out only 85,000 H-1B visas. H-1B visas are temporary visas applied for by an employer which allow… Read More »
Texas Judge’s Ruling Causes Halt in Deferred Action Expansion
Late last year, President Obama signed a series of executive orders expanding the Deferred Action for Children Act (DACA) to include more people (see New Immigration Laws Announced, posted November 21, 2014). The president’s executive action also included a new program of deferred action for parents (DAPA) of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents… Read More »
USCIS Issues Informational Fliers Regarding the President’s Executive Orders on Deferred Action
As you may be aware, on November 20th, President Obama signed executive orders to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and create a new program for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, known as DAPA. The new guidelines for DACA are slated to go into effect on February 18th,… Read More »
DHS to accept expanded DACA applications starting 2/18/2015
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that applications for benefits under the recently announced expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, sometimes referred to as the DREAM act, will be accepted starting February 28, 2015. President Obama announced the expansion of the program in November, 2014. DACA previously included people who were… Read More »
U Visa Petitions from Crime Victims Continue to Rise
Immigrants are often easy targets for criminal abuse. Many have limited English-language skills and are unfamiliar with the American legal system or how to report crime to the police. Often they are reliant on their abuser who may be their primary link to American life. For undocumented immigrants, the situation is even worse, since… Read More »
Arizona’s “Sheriff Joe” Loses Challenge to Obama’s Executive Orders on Immigration
Last November, President Obama created opportunities for nearly five million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to live and work without fear of removal by issuing a series of executive orders expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and creating a new program of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent… Read More »
