April 28, 2021|Contributed by: Zachary New
One of President Biden’s first executive orders was issued February 2nd, 2021, entitle “Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans.” Its goals and directives reflected its title – to identify and remove barriers that impede access to immigration benefits. Beyond requests for comments […]
April 27, 2021|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
On April 23, the Department of Homeland Security announced the recission of civil penalties for noncitizens who had failed to depart the United States under an order of removal. Beginning in 2018, ICE had issued fines, sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, to certain noncitizens in the United States with active orders of removal. […]
April 26, 2021|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
On March 17th, 2021, the Colorado House of Representatives passed HB21-1060, a bill which revised the requirements for the U Visa certification process and made it easier for U Visa petitioners to move forward with the process. U Visas were created in October 2000 as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act […]
April 20, 2021|Contributed by: Luke Niermann
A new report released by the Congressional Research Service cites estimates that as of December 2020, over 1.7 million undocumented individuals may be eligible now or in the near future for protection from removal and work authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. According to these estimates, approximately 1.3 million are immediately […]
March 25, 2021|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
On March 18, the Department of Homeland Security extended and redesignated Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) based on the ongoing armed conflict preventing safe return to that country. Syrians who already have TPS will be able to re-register and retain their status through September 30, 2022. Current Syrian TPS-holders must re-register between March 19 […]
March 15, 2021|Contributed by: Luke Niermann
On March 9, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, announced that the government will no longer defend the new 2019 public charge rule proposed and implemented by the Trump administration. Secretary Mayorkas commented: The 2019 public charge rule was not in keeping with our nation’s values. It penalized those who access health […]
March 8, 2021|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
The Department of Homeland Security today published a Federal Register notice (FRN) announcing the designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, effective March 9, 2021, through Sept. 9, 2022. The FRN details the eligibility criteria Venezuelan nationals (and individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Venezuela) must meet and describes procedures necessary to submit […]
March 8, 2021|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
On March 2, 2021, the Secretary of State rescinded the previous national interest determination and issued a new determination regarding categories of travelers eligible for a National Interest Exception (NIE) under Presidential Proclamation 10143, as related to the Schengen Area*, United Kingdom, and Ireland. The Proclamation restricts the entry of certain noncitizens who have been […]
February 25, 2021|Contributed by: Luke Niermann
USCIS announced on February 22, 2021, that it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test beginning March 1, 2021. The 2020 version of the civics test was short lived. Developed under the Trump Administration, USCIS implemented the revised civics test for those who filed their naturalization applications after December 1, 2020. […]
February 24, 2021|Contributed by: Zachary New
After the announcement of several rules that would drastically change the H-1B lottery process, and their subsequent postponements, USCIS has announced that the initial registration period for cap-subject H-1Bs is set to open on March 9, 2021 and will run through March 25, 2021. During that time, prospective employers are able to register prospective H-1B […]
