J-1 Effective December 9, 2024, the Department of State (DOS) published a notice updating the J-1 Exchange Visitors Skills List. The list determines whether a J-1 visa holder is subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement requiring certain J-1 exchange visitors to return to their home country for two years after their J-1 program, under Section 212(e)...Read More

Parole-in-Place On July 17, 2024, the White House released a fact sheet with additional details on the new parole-in-place program, including that on August 19, 2024, eligible spouses and children will be able to apply for this process to obtain legal status while remaining with their families. While applications cannot be submitted before August 19,...Read More

Parole-in-Place On June 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a key step toward fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to promoting family unity in the immigration system. DHS will establish a new process to consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests for certain noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens who: have been continuously physically...Read More

U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 According to a recent announcement, President Biden will send a bill to Congress providing undocumented individuals living in the United States with an opportunity to earn citizenship. Some of the ways in which the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 will reform our immigration system include: Creating an earned roadmap to...Read More

Lost I-94 As one of the requirements to apply for your green card in the United States through the filing of a Form I-485 Application to Adjust Status, you must prove that you were lawfully admitted or paroled after inspection by an immigration officer. There are options available for you if you have lost the...Read More

Changes to Naturalization Civics Test Applicants who apply for U.S. citizenship are required to demonstrate that they speak English and have knowledge of American history, government and civic values through an oral test given at their naturalization interviews.  USCIS announced today that Applicants who apply for U.S. citizenship on or after December 1, 2020 will...Read More

DACA Guidance USCIS announced guidance on how it will implement Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf’s July 28 memorandum regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. In addition to accepting advance parole applications from DACA Recipients (see above), USCIS will implement the following changes to the DACA program as listed in its guidance:...Read More

Do NOT Panic If you received a notice from USCIS informing you that your Form I-485 Application to Adjust Status is “deficient” because a completed and signed Form I-693 was not submitted. The notice does not mean that there will be a delay in reviewing your I-485 application or issuing you a work permit until...Read More

*Public Charge Inadmissibility Rule* Beginning February 24, 2020, certain individuals who apply to adjust their status in the United States will be subject to the public charge ground of inadmissibility. If you are processing your immigrant visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consular Office with interviews on or after February 24, 2020, you may be...Read More

*Green Cards Delayed* If your application for a green card or work permit was recently approved, but you have yet to receive your card, the delay can be attributable to the Trump administration. According to a July 9, 2020 article in the Washington Post, some 50,000 green cards and 75,000 other employment authorization documents (“work...Read More

*Naturalization Requirements* You are eligible to apply for naturalization to become a citizen of the United States if you have been a green card holder for at least five years, or three years if you are applying based on your marriage to your U.S. citizen spouse. If you are filing based on your marriage, your...Read More

*How to Replace a Lost Green Card* If you lost your green card or your card has expired, you can file an application with USCIS to obtain a replacement card. While no longer having your green card or having a card that is expired does not mean that you have lost your permanent residency status,...Read More

Options to Obtain a Green Card If you entered the United States without inspection and have a qualifying family member or employer who is willing to sponsor you for a green card, the following options may be available to you to obtain your green card: 245(i) Adjustment – If you, your parents (when you were...Read More

Trump Administration Halts Non-immigrant Entry In response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump signed a “nonimmigrant” proclamation suspending the entry of foreign nationals in the H-1B, L-1, H-2B, J-1 nonimmigrant visa categories, with some exceptions. The nonimmigrant ban also applies to dependents (spouses and children) of H-1B, L-1, H-2B, J-1 nonimmigrants....Read More

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Lives On On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Trump Administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The DACA program was introduced by the Obama Administration in 2012 to protect undocumented individuals brought to the United States as children from deportation as...Read More