There are a lot of questions and not a lot of answers to the Executive Order issued on Friday, January 27th. What follows is not meant to be legal advice. I strongly encourage you to consult with a qualified immigration attorney if you have a specific issue you’d like to address. All processing of so-called “I […]
It’s hard to believe, but it’s the last day at the office for 2016. The last few weeks have been particularly busy with the fee increases at USCIS and the change in nearly all of the forms. Looking back at 2016, though, I see that we were busy throughout the year. Over the last 12
Through the Looking Glass: Looking Back at 2016 and Looking Forward to 2017 Read More »
I was surprised to see that my last entry was all the way back on September 18th. I try to write every couple of weeks, but now it’s been nearly a month. Is it because I’ve not had anything to write about? Hardly! While each of the topics below could be a post by themselves,
I understand that part of my job is following-up on cases. In fact, I’ve written about liaison work before and how sometimes that’s the best way to get a case “unstuck.” But there’s liaison work and there’s following-up. And then there’s following-up on your follow-ups and then following up on those. You know it’s bad when you
Constantly Following-Up Read More »
Did you make any resolutions for the new year? I didn’t. I know enough about myself that I probably won’t stick to a plan to practice yoga, study Spanish, eat better, and stress less. I can have the best schedule in place, the best teachers, the best recipes – but after a few weeks, I
There has been a lot of attention given to the refugee process over the past several days. Most of it has been heartbreaking – wanting to close our borders to those most in need. But, out of this has also come a great wealth of information about our refugee process. Any opportunity to educate is
Our Refugee System Is Not Broken Read More »
Over the summer, I met a woman who had gone through something no parent should ever have to endure. Her son, who was only 30 years old, had just died unexpectedly. In the midst of dealing with his funeral, his estate, and the unimaginable grief of losing her only son, she also had to think
Bad Decision by USCIS on Survivor Petition Read More »
Unscrupulous: adjective. Not honest or fair; doing things that are illegal, wrong, or dishonest (Merriam-Webster definition). There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there, and you can find them in immigration as well. There are immigration attorneys who charge insanely high prices for cases that have no legal merit. There are notarios who file forms and
There’s a lot of talk in the media about the crisis of immigrant children and how cases are being moved through too quickly. Immigration advocates constantly talk about how the immigrants at the border are being deprived of due process. So what is due process? And why is it a problem when due process is denied?
What Is Due Process? Read More »
Watching the news these days is depressing: Congress does little to nothing. Ugly hatred reveals itself as adults yell at YMCA camp kids, thinking they are undocumented minors. Our president admits that our country tortured detainees post 9/11. Corporations seem to be granted more rights and more tax breaks while families struggle to pay for
The American Dream Is Still Alive Read More »
