Generally, an individual who wants to apply for lawful permanent resident (“LPR”) status or a green card must be in his or her home country to process the application. However, in some instances an individual who is already in the…
In a past article, “ICE Provides Formal Guidelines on Courthouse Arrests of Immigrants”, we discussed that on February 1, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced formal guidelines on how ICE agents will conduct arrests in courthouses. We further…
The Trust Act, an Illinois statute signed into law in August, 2017, established important protections for undocumented Illinois residents. This law specifically makes it illegal for Illinois police to stop, search or arrest an individual based solely on his/her immigration…
Effective October 1, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began conducting in-person interviews for the following immigration benefit applicants: Adjustment of status applications based on employment (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), and Refugee/Asylee relative…
On February 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court held that immigration law did not permit a bond hearing for certain immigrants held under mandatory detention during removal proceedings. Those subject to mandatory detention include asylum seekers who arrive at the…
On February 1, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced formal guidelines on how ICE agents will conduct arrests in courthouses. The new guidelines were issued in response to concerns about ICE agents picking up individuals targeted for deportation…
The Trump administration is seeking to change visa applications to require all applicants to turn over five years of social media history. The proposed rule would require foreigners applying for a visa to include their social media usernames on various…
The Trump administration is considering new rules that would make it more difficult for foreign nationals and immigrants to be admitted to the U.S. or get green cards if they or their children receive certain public benefits. Such benefits would…
On March 29, 2018, a Washington, D.C, federal judge found that the federal government deprived a class of asylum seekers of their rights to apply for asylum by failing to notify them of the one-year deadline. The judge ordered the…
In our past article, “Expediting Your Asylum Application If Already in the Backlog”, we discussed that as of January 29, 2018, the Asylum Division would give priority to the most recently filed affirmative asylum applications when scheduling asylum interviews. As…