Under the Trump administration, the cap on refugee entries was reduced year after year: 45,000 in fiscal year 2018; to 30,000 in fiscal year 2019; and to 18,000 in fiscal year 2020. This was an extreme departure from the 110,000-person…
President Biden issued a proclamation granting a pardon to individuals who were charged with simple marijuana possession on a federal level on or before October 6, 2022. Who is eligible? U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens who were legally present in…
In past articles, we had advised that the public charge concept was first established by Congress in 1882 to allow the U.S. government to deny a visa to anyone who, “is likely at any time to become a public charge”—but…
Previously, lawful permanent residents who properly filed Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) were issued a receipt notice by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that automatically extended the validity of their expired or expiring Green…
Permanent residence (green card) applicants are required to complete an immigration medical examination as part of their application process, performed by civil surgeons. Civil surgeons are physicians whom United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has designated as eligible to…
In a previous article, (DHS Announces Final Rule Restoring Asylum Regulations) we advised that on September 22, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule, officially reinstating the 2020 asylum rules, following the decision of the U.S.…
On September 22, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule, officially reinstating the 2020 asylum rules. This action was in light of the court decision reached by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia…
To qualify for naturalization, you must generally have resided continuously in the United States after your lawful permanent resident (LPR) admission for at least three years, if filing based on being married to and living with your U.S. citizen spouse,…
In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS announced a temporary signature policy that it would accept copies of original signatures on all forms and documents. On July 25, 2022, USCIS announced that it will continue to accept…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 30, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extended the deadline to respond to certain requests, notices and appeals. Due to the ongoing pandemic, USCIS has since further extended the extensions. Requests…