Immigration News
The Importance of Maintaining Status while changing to Student Status
by Immigration Attorney Michele Strickland So you entered as a visitor and decided to go to college. You applied and were accepted to a school and the DSO issued an I-20, now what? It is very important to know that you may not enroll and attend classes while on a tourist visa (B-1/B- 2). You
Current Affirmative Asylum Interview Scheduling Times
Updated May 2019 By Asylum Immigration Attorney Ruby L. Powers I am a Board Certified Immigration attorney and have practiced solely immigration law for over nine years with a constant case load of asylum cases. Having worked on affirmative and defensive asylum since being a law student in the immigration law clinic and many years
Trump Administration Ends Temporary Protection for Haitians
The Trump Administration has decided to end Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for Haitians who were in the U.S. and could not return to the Haiti as a result of the devastations left by a 2010 earthquake and subsequently by a 2015 hurricane. Haitians that were in the U.S. under this Temporary Protection Program will be
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Sanctuary Cities Order
On Monday, November 20 th , a federal judge permanently blocked President Trump’s executive order cutting funding from jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. immigration authorities. U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick, in lawsuits brought by the California counties of San Francisco and Santa Clara, ruled that the Administration did not have the constitutional
The Updated and Improved Provisional Waiver and Recent Processing Times
Updated September 2019 What is an I-601A waiver (Provisional Waiver)? The I-601A, Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver, is a waiver that was introduced in 2013 under the Obama Administration. This waiver allows certain individuals, who entered the United States unlawfully, to be able to pursue residency while maintaining family unity, granted they meet the criteria of
TPS
The Trump administration continues its anti-immigrant agenda by ending TPS for some countries and threatening to remove the designation for more. Most recently, the administration announced it will terminate Nicaraguan TPS, with the last day of TPS to be Jan. 5, 2019. This follows the termination of TPS status for Sudan (last day:Nov. 2, 2018). Honduran
USCIS Announces Higher Scrutiny for Petitions to Extend Nonimmigrant Status
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it is instructing its officers to apply the same level of scrutiny to both initial petitions and extension requests for certain nonimmigrant visa categories. The guidance applies to almost all nonimmigrant classifications filed using Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker. Adjudicators are instructed to thoroughly review the
Update on Employment Based Interview Requirement
USCIS announced that adjustment of status interviews are now required for all employment based immigration. On October 1 USCIS began phasing in this requirement. In the past USCIS waived the interview requirement for most employment based applications for adjustment of status to permanent resident. Under the law it could require an interview on a case
Why It is Critical to Understand the New 90-day Rule Regarding Misrepresentation Based on Conduct
What is the 90-day rule? The 90-day rule is crucial for immigrants to understand, especially when it comes to potential misrepresentation. The Department of State (DOS) recently revised the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to include an updated section called “Inconsistent Conduct Within 90 Days of Entry.” Section 9 FAM 302.9-4(B)(3) applies to foreign nationals in
