Blogs

A federal judge in Texas recently blocked the Biden Administration from approving new DACA applications, leaving the 55,550 applicants who are waiting for approval in limbo. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen found that DACA is unlawful because it should have been subjected to formal notice-and-comment under the Administrative Procedure Act and because it exceeded powers Congress granted to executive branch agencies. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for current DACA recipients and applicants.

The Biden Administration is taking a celebrated step this week to address this issue- it has announced a plan to track down deported veterans and their families as part of an effort to provide them with a path to U.S. citizenship and Veterans Affairs benefits. Read our latest blog to learn more about this, and how to access immigration help for a deported veteran.

A new Virginia Senate bill (SB 1468) has been signed by Governor Ralph Northam, paving the way for U and T visa applicants to have a faster processing time as they gather the necessary documents for their applications. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for U and T visa applicants.

The government has finally moved forward in its attempt to deal with the unreasonable backlog of U visa applications by allowing crime victims to obtain work authorization while they wait for their applications to be approved. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for you!

On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, current Attorney General Merrick Garland vacated two Trump-era immigration orders made by previous Attorney Generals Jeff Sessions and William Barr that made it harder for asylum seekers to win their cases. Read our latest blog to learn more about this decision.

In a highly anticipated - and now highly disappointing - ruling, the Supreme Court has decided against TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders in Sanchez v. Mayorkas. Read our latest blog to learn about this unanimous Court decision.

Up to 150,000 Haitians living in the United States may now be able to benefit from the government’s newest temporary protected status (TPS) designation, an 18-month classification designed for those already living in the U.S. as of May 21, 2021.  Read our latest blog to learn what this means and how you can benefit from TPS.

The Biden Administration has announced a new “Dedicated Docket plan” in the hopes that families who have presented themselves at the border together can have their asylum cases heard within 300 days. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for asylee families.

The U.S. Department of State recently announced a policy change allowing the children born abroad to U.S. citizens in same-sex marriages to be recognized as U.S. citizens under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Read our latest blog to learn more about this new policy.

On October 4, 2019, [former] President Trump announced a proclamation that limited the number of immigrants entering the U.S. by requiring those who enter the country to have health insurance, or enough money to pay for a health insurance plan, in the United States. On May 14, 2021, President Biden reversed Trump’s proclamation, mirroring several other immigration reversals Biden has implemented since entering office. Read our latest blog to learn about the effect of Biden's latest immigration proclamation.

Does the United States government giving someone Temporary Protected Status to be in the country qualify as statutory “admission” into the U.S. so they can become lawful permanent residents? That’s the question that the Supreme Court must decide on now since hearing argument in the case of Sanchez v. Mayorkas on April 19, 2021.  Read our latest blog to learn more about this pending case.

In the case of Niz-Chavez v. Barr, we wondered whether the conservative justices on the Supreme Court would stay true to their principles of statutory interpretation even though it would result in what some would consider a “liberal” outcome.  On Thursday, April 29, 2021, the Supreme Court confirmed that it would. Read our latest blog to learn about what this ruling means for Notices to Appear.

Our clients and many others have been waiting for a visa interview for more than a year after the embassy cancelled and suspended visa interviews due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Recently, the U.S. Department of State, the federal agency in charge of all U.S. embassies, issued some updates on visa interviews. Read our latest blog to learn about these updates.

During the last year + of the pandemic many stories came up of LPRs who got stuck outside of the United States because of grounded flights or a lack of access to COVID tests. Any form of international travel right now still holds with it a chance of getting stuck in another nation, which can affect permanent residence status. Read our latest blog to learn about Form I-131 - Application for Travel Document - and why we recommend applying for one before you travel right now.

Pro skateboarder Leticia Bufoni recently took the oath to become a U.S. citizen and will be competing in this summer’s olympics. Bufoni will make double history this summer - not only will she compete at the Olympics, she will be among the first pro skateboarders to be an Olympian. Read our latest blog to learn about Bufoni and how dual citizens choose to represent a country at the Olympics!

As a society we have updated our language many times as modern understanding progresses.  Many words that were previously used to describe groups of people are now considered offensive, and it is important for governments to be aware of that in documents, publications, and public speech.  That is the viewpoint that the Biden administration is promoting in its recent decision to remove the term “alien” from the USCIS policy manual, in an effort to use more humanizing language. Read our latest blog about what this change is affecting.

Puede bajar el documento aqui: Yo soy Venezolano (a). Califico para el TPS? En términos generales, para calificar para TPS debe: Ser nacional de Venezuela (o no ciudadano sin nacionalidad que reside habitualmente en Venezuela por última vez); Haber residido continuamente en los Esta...

In one of its most recent decisions, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stopped applying the Public Charge Final Rule to all pending applications and petitions, beginning March 9, 2021.  Read our latest blog to learn about this decision's impact.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, government processing times were already reaching all-time highs. The pandemic has worsened government delays. With these delays our clients often ask, is there any way to speed up the process? Read our latest blog to find out if you qualify for an expedited application process!

Venezuelans living in the United States have a big reason to celebrate - after years of discussions, rumors and speculation, they have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS). USCIS is accepting TPS applications under this program now. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for Venezuelans and how to apply for TPS.

We are used to hearing “innocent until proven guilty” suggesting that the government has the burden of proving a defendant’s guilt. This is in the criminal context. However, this is not always the case in deportation proceedings which are considered civil proceedings. At least, that’s what the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) communicated this last week when it decided in Pereida v. Wilkinson that an undocumented immigrant has the burden to prove that a criminal conviction does not make him ineligible to have his deportation canceled. Read our latest blog to learn about the ruling and its impact.

USCIS under President Biden’s administration recently announced that starting March 1, 2021, it is reverting back to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics exam. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for you and your naturalization petition!

The proposed new U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was recently introduced by Representative Linda Sánchez (D - CA) and Senator Bob Melendez (D - NJ) as bicameral legislation - meaning it was simultaneously introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Such sweeping immigration reform hasn’t been passed for decades - and a path to citizenship for undocumented individuals has not been voted into law since President Reagan’s amnesty act in 1986. Read our latest blog to learn about what this new Act will do if passed.

In President Biden’s three weeks in office so far, he has signed 30 executive orders, on topics ranging from climate change, gender discrimination, health, and incarceration. A few weeks ago we wrote about the six immigration executive orders that Biden signed on his first day in office, and today we want to update you on four new executive orders that will have a substantial impact on immigration in the months to come.

Can you believe that 2001 was 20 years ago?? Few are aware that the DREAM Act has been around for that long. The first iteration of the proposed DREAM Act was introduced in the House in April of 2001. Since then at least 10 versions of the DREAM Act have been introduced in Congress, but none have become law. Read our latest blog to learn about the new bipartisan DREAM Act of 2021 that was introduced on February 4, 2021.