Much uncertainty has surrounded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, since Trump’s presidential candidacy began. His campaign promises included many controversial changes to immigration policies, particularly the removal of the DACA program altogether. Since his presidency, the administration has moved forward with its plans for DACA, while meeting much resistance both inside and […]
Update: After this post was published, the McClatchy DC news service reported that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stated that it is not considering a regulatory change to the H-1B extension rules as had previously been reported. USCIS did, however, indicate that the agency is considering a number of policy and regulatory […]
An official email from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) states that the Trump administration is proposing new requirements for immigrants that will make it more difficult for congressional offices to assist their constituents in the green card application process. The email, sent from Ronald Atkinson, the acting chief of USCIS’ legislative affairs […]
Recent update (May 30, 2018) : DHS plans to rescind the program As of the December 14th announcement by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), applications are now being accepted for parole under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), commonly called Entrepreneur Parole. Political Resistance to the Rule The Obama administration proposed the rule […]
In a surprising move on Monday, the Supreme Court granted President Trump’s request to fully enforce another version of his highly disputed travel ban. Legal challenges continue in lower courts regarding the travel ban, which applies to residents of eight countries, six of which have Muslim majorities. The move was seen as a White House […]
The consequences of a DUI conviction are often life-changing. This is even more concerning for those without citizenship. A citizen found guilty of a DUI may face jail time, loss of driver’s license and expensive fines. For non-citizens, there are additional consequences: possible deportation and the loss of opportunity for naturalization. Because individuals seeking naturalization […]
According to a Department of Justice official, the DOJ is planning to cut immigration court cases in half by 2020. The plan includes adding more immigration judges, upgrading technology, and refusing to postpone case hearings. These efforts are part of the Trump’s administration’s plan to increase and expedite removal of undocumented immigrants. According to the […]
The following essay by Ms F. H. Hamidi is the 2017 winner of the Law Office of Givi Kutidze Immigration Law Scholarship. The views expressed in the essay are Ms. Hamidi’s and do not reflect my own position or opinion on the issues discussed. Immigration is a frequently visited topic within the Hamidi household. After […]
As you might know, the H-1B visa program is created by the U.S. government to assist U.S. companies with recruiting highly-skilled foreign workers when they cannot find qualified U.S employees in the country. Two-thirds of visas under the H-1B program are used by tech companies and 70% of the applicants are Indian nationals. Today, April […]
On Wednesday, March 15, federal judge Benjamin Watson of Hawai’i issued an order blocking President Trump’s revised travel ban. The ban was set to take effect the following day. The revised travel ban, much like the President’s first attempt, would primarily have affected travelers from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iran, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. […]
