September 26, 2018|Contributed by: Jennifer Howard
On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed rule that, if implemented, will change how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers determine whether someone is eligible for adjustment of status and, in some cases, extension of stay and change of status within the United States. The changes would […]
September 24, 2018|Contributed by: Courtney Sommer
Attorney General Jeff Sessions placed yet another restriction on immigration judges, limiting when they can terminate cases in removal proceedings. Sessions held that immigration judges are only allowed to terminate or dismiss, immigration court cases under “specific and circumscribed” conditions. These “specific” conditions include, for instance, times when the Department of Homeland Security cannot prove […]
September 24, 2018|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Another change in policy and another reason to hire an immigration lawyer (or be glad you already did)! For as long as I have been in Immigration law firms I’ve been asked the question, “But why should I hire an immigration lawyer?” The answer is never simple but neither is the processing in U.S. immigration. […]
September 21, 2018|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
With government crackdowns on immigrants, both undocumented and legal, dominating headlines, the fact that many immigrants are still successfully navigating the labyrinth can get lost in the shuffle. The USCIS announcement that over 45,000 people were sworn in as newly naturalized U.S. citizens as part of Constitution and Citizenship Day celebrations serves as a reminder […]
September 19, 2018|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Thousands of people across the country have been given charging documents (“NTA”) to appear in Immigration Court by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). But their official notices to appear were greeted by court staffers who called them “fake dates.” The immigration removal process in Immigration Court does not begin until the government (ICE) files the […]
August 28, 2018|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Are you a Student (F), Vocational Student (M) or Exchange Visitor (J) Principal or Family Member Nonimmigrant Visa Holder? What does the new USCIS Unlawful Presence Guidance Mean to YOU? With the creation of USCIS, many of the predecessor agency’s (INS) policies and procedures were maintained and continued. Beginning in 1997, an INS policy found […]
August 28, 2018|Contributed by: Courtney Sommer
The Trump administration’s efforts to remove certain immigrants from the U.S. are being fought in two separate federal lawsuits: one challenging the termination of Temporary Protected Status for certain countries and one challenging the arrest of immigrants at their green card interviews. The Trump administration has attempted to end both lawsuits by asking the respective […]
August 28, 2018|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
The Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) recently reassigned a high profile case to an out-of-town immigration judge handpicked by EOIR headquarters. The reason it took the case away from one judge and gave it to another was because the original judge hadn’t issued a removal order as quickly as the administration had wanted. In […]
August 23, 2018|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
On Friday, August 17, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruled that the Trump administration does not have to accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program but must continue processing renewals while the future of the program is under appeal. In addition, Bates ordered that the Trump administration does not have […]
August 7, 2018|Contributed by: Jennifer Howard
This week marks eleven months since the Trump administration announced the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. However, the fate of DREAMers remains just as uncertain as that day in September when the program benefitting an estimated 800,000 was rescinded. Just this past Friday, August 3, 2018, a U.S. District Court […]
