Useful Information on Immigration
Supreme Court on Monday stroke down 3 out of 4 provisions of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, but upheld the provision that requires local police to check the immigration status of anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe is in the U.S. unlawfully. “This ruling is, on balance, encouraging, particularly because the court kept the door … Read more
U.S. ambassador in China announced today that since February 13, 2012, the United States will lauch a new pilot program that permits consular officers to waive interviews for some qualified nonimmigrant applicants worldwide who are renewing their visa within 48 months of the expiration of their previously held visa, and within the same classification as the … Read more
If an immigration judge (IJ) granted you permanent residence during immigration court proceedings or you were granted permanent residence by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and you have not yet received your green card, please schedule an appointment with your local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office. You can make an appointment through … Read more
YOU SAID “I DO” – NOW WHAT? MARRIAGE BASED GREEN CARD INTERVIEW An alien (no not the kind from outer space) and a U.S. citizen have fallen in love and gotten married. The desire to obtain permanent residency in the United States is followed by filing a marriage based immigration petition. After all the paperwork … Read more
Affidavits are widely used in immigration cases. In many cases, affidavits can be submitted in connection with an immigration petition. For example, in marriage based immigration petition, affidavits of third parties are often submitted to prove the bona fide marital relationship between petitioner and the alien. What is an affidavit? An affidavit is a declaration … Read more
An H-1B visa holder intended to take a cruise trip to Mexico with his family. His only concern is that the H-1B visa is expired even though his I-94 is still valid. Can he take the trip and return to the United States without a valid visa? The answer is that he may be able … Read more
A new report by the Center for Immigration Studies, “Deportation Basics: How Immigration Enforcement Works (or Doesn’t) in Real Life,” discusses the ground-level process of what is now called “removal proceedings” and the issues that surround it. The report is available at here. Among the findings: •A large percentage of aliens flee from removal proceedings … Read more
You can read the New York Times article here.
In a sweeping seech in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, President Obama rallied voters to unite in support of comprehensive immigration reform – a longstanding campaign promise on which he has yet to deliver. While immigration rights activists largely approved of the sentiment behind the gesture, many argue that more action must be taken – … Read more
USCIS issued an FAQ today that discusses the automatic extension of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 status in the U.S. for students with pending or approved H-1B petitions for an employment start date of 10/1/11, under the Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B cap. Which petitions and beneficiaries qualify for a cap-gap extension? H-1B petitions … Read more