News and Legal Articles
Iran Travel Suspension: 7 Things to Know Now
Update: Executive Order suspending travel is no longer in effect, see bottom of page for additional information. A Presidential Executive Order temporarily prohibiting individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the U.S. is expected to be signed in the coming days. The final version of the Order has not… Read More »
New EB-2 National Interest Waiver Standards Announced
Matter of Dhanasar Clarifies EB-2 National Interest Waiver Standards In the last week of 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it will change the way that it decides EB-2 National Interest Waiver (“NIW”) cases. This decision is intended to make a waiver of the normal labor certification requirements—required for most employment-based immigrants—more broadly… Read More »
3 Tips to Make the Most of Your Immigration Consultation
Consultation with a U.S. Immigration Attorney The 30-60 minutes that a person spends interviewing their potential immigration attorney may turn out to be the most important conversation of their life. During the consultation, the Client must evaluate the attorney’s Expertise, Personality, and Responsiveness. If the consultation is properly utilized, the time spent will leave… Read More »
Provisional Waiver (I-601(A)) Will Now Include Family Members of U.S. Residents
Provisional Waiver Expansion Overview On July 29, 2016, USCIS announced the Federal Register publication of its final rule expanding the class of individuals eligible for a provisional unlawful presence waiver. The final rule will take effect August 29, 2016. As we previously wrote, the rule was first proposed approximately one year ago, and allows any… Read More »
Five Things to Know About the New Parole Entrepreneur Program
Proposed Rule Would Ease Foreign Entrepreneur Entry to the U.S. Under proposed regulations released by the Department of Homeland Security on August 26, 2016, Immigration officials would temporarily admit business owners into the U.S. whose start-up business will likely be successful in the U.S. and create jobs for U.S. workers. By using its relatively rarely… Read More »
India-Based U.S. Consulates Currently Experiencing Visa Appointment Backlogs
Visa Appointments in India As any Indian traveling back to India for “stamping” of an L-1, L-2, O-1, H-3, H-1B, or H-4 visa in their passport knows, the wait for obtaining a Consular appointment can affect their eligibility for the visa itself, not to mention their work and travel plans. In recent months, appointment… Read More »
Supreme Court Ruling Blocks Immigration Executive Actions
DAPA and DACA Expansion Halted Common sense improvements to our nation’s broken immigration system were authorized by President Obama in November of 2014. The Executive Actions were later challenged in Federal Court, leading to a Supreme Court showdown, and today effectively halted, in a 4-4 split decision by the highest court in the land…. Read More »
Considering Applying for U.S. Naturalization? Here are 10 Common Myths and Misperceptions
The U.S. Citizenship Process Through Naturalization Becoming a U.S. citizen is both a tremendous benefit and great responsibility. U.S. citizens have the right to vote, to obtain government jobs, to petition other family members for immigration benefits, to reside abroad without losing the right to return, and to receive certain limited protections of the… Read More »
Success Stories! Asylum Granted After BIA MTR & Chinese Parent-Child Petition Saved After 14 Years
Asylum Application for Syrian Approved After 21 Years In 1995, a Syrian Christian woman, in the U.S. on a work visa at the time, filed for Asylum with the former INS. She feared returning to her home country due to a fear of persecution on account of her gender and religious beliefs. Her request… Read More »
STEM OPT Extension Changes Take Effect May 10, 2016
New STEM OPT Program Increases Validity to 36 Months The new and expanded STEM OPT Extension program, announced by USCIS on March 11, 2016, goes into effect on May 10, 2016. The program increases the length of time that STEM graduates can stay in the U.S., working lawfully under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The… Read More »
