Last week, USCIS issued a new policy memorandum instructing their officers when they should start the removal (“deportation”) process and issue Notices to Appear (NTAs). The NTA is a charging document that starts the deportation process. A NTA can be issued by USCIS, CBP or ICE and once filed with an immigration court, deportation proceedings begin and […]
USCIS Gets Into the Deportation Business Read More »
Last week, the Attorney General released a decision saying that Immigration Judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals do not have the authority to administratively close a case. What is administrative closure and why is the end of it a big deal? Administrative closure was like putting a case in a coma. The respondent was still technically
Administrative Closure – Why the Attorney General’s Decision is Horrible Read More »
Yesterday, I was quoted in a press release regarding Georgia Senate Bill 452. It’s a pretty awful piece of legislation that many organizations are fighting against. Project South has an excellent write-up of the bill available here. There are two important things to know. First, this is not law yet. We have a chance to fight
AILA’s Press Release on SB 452 Read More »
Late last week, the White House issued its “Framework for Immigration Reform and Border Security.” Let’s be clear, it’s only a framework, a wish-list, so to speak. It’s not law and nothing has changed since this document was released. The framework is meant to tell Congress what President Trump wants to see in future immigration
The White House and Immigration – What Does the Framework Mean? Read More »
The United States government has officially shut down. There are many reasons why that happened, but I bet a lot of people will blame immigration…which is in a way funny since most immigration services won’t be impacted by the shutdown. Why? Because most immigration services are fee-based. The fees you pay for your forms go
What the Shutdown Means for Immigration Matters Read More »
Here we are…the last Friday of 2017…It has been a year full of change and uncertainty. Yet, even in difficult times, we find moments of joy – calling clients to let them know their VAWA case approved and hearing screams of excitement, everyone who gets a green card based on U status and cries because
2017 – The Year in Numbers Read More »
This week’s post is brought to you by a client (CG) and his wife who recently went to Ciudad Juarez for an immigrant visa interview. The experience detailed below is only meant to be used as an example of one story – processes and experiences will change from case to case and from time to
A First-Hand Experience from Consular Processing in Juarez Read More »
There is so much fear out there right now. What’s going to happen with DACA? Will ICE come to my house and deport me if I lose my case? Why is it taking longer than 90 days to get my work card – is there something wrong? These are serious concerns and people should be paying
Staying Optimistic in Pessimistic Times Read More »
There are so many things wrong with what Attorney General Sessions said today when announcing the end of DACA. He’s equated DACA with an “open borders policy;” says that DACA-recipients have taken the jobs that Americans could fill (yet, those Americans could have applied for those same positions and have been hired had they been the
So much for efficiency. Earlier this week, USCIS announced that they’ll be conducting interviews on more green card (I-485) applications starting on October 1, 2017. Specifically, employment-based adjustment of status cases are going to be targeted for interviews and more case types are bound to follow. Currently, most employment-based cases and some family-based (parent/child), are granted interview waivers. Interview
USCIS Expanding In-Person Interviews Read More »
