Blogs

If you have immediate relatives who have had to flee Ukraine due to the Russia-Ukraine War, you are not alone in wanting them to be able to emigrate to the United States. There are nearly one million Americans of Ukrainian descent in the U.S., and many have reached out to us about how to enable their relatives to join them here. There is a process that has been announced for immediate relatives - and that is in person Form I-130 filing at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. has also opened the process to people who have recently fled Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Read our latest blog to learn more about this process.

We hear it and we see it every day. Immigrants inside the United States and hopeful immigrants outside of it who have been waiting for years, sometimes decades, to be reunited here.  Currently there is a 15 year backlog on visas just for U.S. citizens to emigrate their siblings to the United States, and that is after the initial USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) case has been approved. Other types of immigration cases vary widely in their processing times and the government is finally recognizing how harmful this backlog is. Read our latest blog to learn the changes USCIS is trying to implement to reduce the backlogs.

The war in Ukraine has gone on for far longer than anyone expected. Recently the United Nations announced that more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, and that number is expected to quickly grow. Read our latest blog to learn how President Biden plans to help those evacuated.

Recently the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was reauthorized by Congress until 2027, providing the way for certain immigrant victims of domestic abuse to stay on a path to immigration, without having to involve that abusive family member in the immigration process. Additionally, USCIS released new policy guidance about VAWA. Read our latest blog to learn more about the reauthorization and new policies.

Legal uncertainty.  That term describes what thousands upon thousands of Afghans have experienced regarding their immigration status since arriving in the United States in August 2021 and the months following. The Biden administration is attempting to bring clarity to some of that uncertainty with the announcement of temporary protected status (TPS) for Afghans. Read our latest blog to learn what this means and if TPS will help you or a loved one.

The Biden Administration is seeking to renew the U.S.’s place on the STEM world stage by ensuring that the best and brightest STEM minds will be able to study in, and even immigrate to, the United States. Read our latest blog to learn what this means for the STEM community.

Like many in the United States you may have been wondering whether the U.S. will open its doors to Ukrainians as war refugees, or in some other capacity. While that has yet to be announced, the Biden Administration did announce yesterday that Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. as of March 1, 2022 will be allowed to stay in the country, under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Read on to learn more about this special designation and see if you or a loved one is eligible for TPS.

Does my USCIS case qualify for an expedited request? USCIS recently released new guidance on expedite requests. Read our latest blog to see if your case is eligible!

The validity length for EAD cards depends on what kind of immigration status a person holds in the United States. For some visa holders, an EAD card only lasts for one year, which means that after about six months of holding it, the renewal process starts again. USCIS has been struggling with an EAD backlog - and now the USCIS is trying to change those statistics with its latest EAD policy alert - which announces that in the interest of “reducing the burden on both the agency and the public,” certain filing categories will be issued initial and renewal EAD cards with up to a  two year validity period.

There’s been pretty clear direction about the requirements (or non-requirements) to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if you are a visitor to the United States versus whether you are a citizen or permanent resident, but what if you are somewhere in between? For those who are ready and able to adjust your status or apply for permanent residence (also known as a green card) in the United States, will you be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19? Read on to find out. 

So much attention has been given to the turmoil airports and airlines have gone through in the last two years, but there are plenty of people wondering about how the pandemic is affecting our land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders. Read our latest blog to learn whether or not you need to be vaccinated to enter the United states from a land border or ferry terminal.

Many people who elect not to get vaccinated against COVID for various personal reasons have asked us, how can I travel to the U.S. if I do not want to be vaccinated?  With so many countries having so many different standards for entering their nation, we want to give you a clear understanding of the requirements to enter the U.S. right now. Read our latest blog to learn about vaccinations and exceptions for air travel to the U.S.

COVID related travel restrictions have caused many couples to postpone wedding plans. For couples separated by international borders, many lately are wondering whether proxy marriages are valid for obtaining an immigrant visa. Read our latest blog to learn what a proxy marriage is and whether it might be the right option for you.

The Department of State just released guidance stating that certain nonimmigrant visa applicants will not have to attend an in-person interview at an embassy in 2022. This is in an attempt to reduce visa wait times for temporary work visa holders. Read our latest blog to learn which visas this new guidance applies to.

Recent USCIS guidance issued in December states that healthcare workers who have a pending EAD renewal application, and whose employment authorization will expire within 30 days or has already expired, can now request expedited processing of their EAD renewals.  Read our latest blog to learn how you or your healthcare worker loved one can expedite their EAD renewal.

This month USCIS announced a new policy alert - until September 30, 2022, the government is waiving its 60-day limitation for medical evaluation signatures on Form I-693s. Read our latest blog to learn how this may affect your USCIS petition.

100 people sit in the United States Senate, yet two of them hold the actual power for the latest bill that could provide a path to citizenship for thousands of undocumented immigrants in the United States.  The Senate Parliamentarian is the one with all the power right now, and some senators are thinking of overruling her decision. Read our latest blog to learn about this situation.

President Biden has received both support and derision for his latest pandemic decision - banning those traveling from eight sub-saharan African countries from entering the United States. Read our latest blog to find out how Biden's Order may affect you.

Due to extreme visa backlogs, thousands of families have to wait up to twenty years or more for the promise of permanency in the United States. The Biden Administration and Congress is trying to change that, but the Build Back Better Act faces an uphill battle in the Senate. Read our latest blog to learn more about how we hope the green card backlog will be eased.

There are many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving week, but we want to highlight a class-action lawsuit, Shergill, et al. v. Mayorkas, that the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has been fighting on behalf of nonimmigrant spouses here on H, L, or E visas, which just settled. Read our latest blog to learn about the outcome of this settlement.

Although the United States is known as the land of opportunity, the opportunity to work if you’re not a citizen or legal permanent resident has been significantly curbed lately. In what was previously known as a process that took about three months, the average wait time to receive an employment authorization card is now often taking longer than a year. Read our latest blog to learn about a new lawsuit challenging USCIS and DHS on the extreme delay of EAD cards.

After what has felt like months of deliberating and negotiating, it looks like Congress’s Build Back Better Act is set to become law, and with it the possibility of immigration status for thousands of those who have been waiting for decades for Congressional action. The Build Back Better Act was passed by the House and is expected to be passed in the Senate by Thanksgiving, after which it just needs President Biden’s signature in order to become law. Read our latest blog to learn how this Act will hopefully provide parole and work permits to certain undocumented immigrants.

Beginning November 8, 2021, the current restrictions on entering the United States will end and new rules will take their place. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began the restrictions for entry to the U.S. have been based on which country someone was coming from. Effective November 8, there will be no more country by country restrictions - the new rules will apply to all countries. Read our latest blog to learn how these new restrictions may affect you or your loved ones.

In the aftermath of the apparent breakdown of civil liberties in Hong Kong, the United States has joined the UK in creating a path for Hong Kong residents to be able to reside elsewhere. Read our latest blog to learn the details of President Biden's announcement that certain eligible Hong Kong residents will now join the list of nationals entitled to deferred enforced departure.

USCIS has reinstated two family reunification programs - one for Filipino World War Two veterans, and one for Haitians. Read our latest blog to learn more about these programs and if your family is eligible.