On March 3, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was designating Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status due to the war between Russia and Ukraine for 18 months. However, this period can be extended if necessary. A country is given TPS status when certain events have happened in that country, making it unsafe […]
Ukraine Designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 Months Read More »
News
On March 1, 2022, President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech. He spoke on several topics, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, inflation, prescription drug prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, and bringing industry and manufacturing back to America, among other topics. He did speak about immigration, but he didn’t spend much time on
What President Biden Said About Immigration In His State of the Union Speech Read More »
News
Nationwide, you and millions of families, businesses, and individuals applying for immigration benefits are waiting longer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process and approve applications and petitions. Based on previously available USCIS data, in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, an average case took about five months to process. In FY2020, an average case
Why Could Your Case Be Taking So Long? USCIS Processing Delays Remain at Crisis Level Read More »
Employment-Based Immigration, Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, Policy Change, U.S. Citizenship
I want to preface this post by saying that all three of these agencies are involved when a family member or employee is being petitioned for, and that person is not currently in the U.S. and will be processing at a U.S. consulate/embassy abroad. However, there are instances when a person is going through the
Starting October 1, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all applicants applying for refugee or lawful permanent residence, with some exceptions. All applicants who receive their medical examination ON OR AFTER October 1, 2021, must complete the COVID-19 vaccine series and provide documentation
COVID-19 Vaccines Will Be Required for Green Card Applicants Starting October 1, 2021 Read More »
Employment-Based Immigration, Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, Policy Change
On June 14, 2021, USCIS issued a policy alert that will give principal petitioners (the main applicant) and qualifying family members with pending and valid U visa petitions work permits. To find out what a U visa is, you can go to my blog post here. The terms U nonimmigrant status and U visa are
In President Biden’s first 100 days in office, he will be proposing many immigration-related policy changes and executive orders, as well as an immigration bill. Click here to read more about those plans. Here are some of the immigration-related issues that the Biden administration has said it will address: Reverse the Trump Administration’s policies that
The First 100 Days of the Biden Administration – Immigration Edition Read More »
News, Policy ChangeNo one can deny that this year has been full of uncertainty and changes because of the pandemic. I cannot think of one sector or industry that has not been affected in one way or another, including our U.S. immigration system. Many changes have happened and as attorneys, we have had to navigate our way
Public Charge Rule Updates and Other U.S. Immigration Changes Due to COVID-19 Read More »
Policy Change*Update: On September 29, 2020, a federal judge blocked the filing fees from increasing at this time. USCIS is raising its fees by an average of 20%, but some fees will increase by much more than that. If you have an immigration case that can be filed before that date, you should do so. Below
USCIS Raising Filing Fees Effective October 2, 2020 Read More »
Policy Change
On June 22, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation that suspends issuance of H-1B, H-2B, J and L visas until at least December 31, 2020. The suspension could be extended depending on the circumstances at that time. This proclamation also extends the proclamation from April 22, 2020, that bans certain immigrants from coming into the
President Trump Issues Proclamation Suspending Entry of H-1B, H-2B, L, and J Visas Read More »
Employment, H-1B, Policy Change