Immigration law news
What Happens After You File an I-601A Waiver?
Form I-601A is an essential piece of the family-based immigration process for many applicants. It provides a workaround for the mandatory three or ten-year reentry bar that would prevent otherwise approved applicants from reentering the country after their embassy or consulate interview. If you have questions about what to expect...
What is Family-Based immigration, and How Does it Work?
Family-based immigration – an I-130 Petition for an Alien Relative – permits U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents to file immigration petitions on behalf of close relatives. The U.S. citizen/green card holder, and not the alien relative, is the petitioner in such cases. If you want to petition...
Who Qualifies as an Immediate Relative for Immigration Purposes?
U.S. immigration law defines the term ‘immediate relative’ for family-based immigration purposes differently depending on the petitioner’s immigration status. Do not assume you qualify to file an I-130 petition for a relative without first speaking with a dedicated family immigration attorney from Robert M. Bell P.A. Discuss obtaining an immediate...
How Long Does the Family Immigration Process Take?
The length of time the family immigration process takes depends on various factors, including the nature of the petition, visa quotas, and general USCIS processing times. An experienced Florida family-based immigration lawyer can help minimize delays by ensuring you include all necessary evidence with the initial I-130 petition. If you’ve...
3 Ways You Could Jeopardize Your Green Card
A green card is a lifeline to many people across the country and here in Florida, they are a hard to come by and an increasingly precious resource. They are also revocable, under certain conditions, including: If a court finds you guilty of a crime A key aspect of any...
How Will Mass Deportations Impact Undocumented mmigrants?
Many immigrant families and communities are being ripped apart as new policies seek to raid neighborhoods, schools and workplaces looking for undocumented immigrants. The goal of this movement is to take action against an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants who have illegally entered the United States. These enforcement actions can...
How to Best Prepare for Your Naturalization Interview
The journey towards citizenship can be long and complicated for many immigrants. The naturalization interview is a significant milestone for most immigrants, as it marks a crucial step toward becoming a U.S. citizen. As such, immigrants anticipating this step in the citizenship journey should take it seriously. During the naturalization...
What if They Deny My Fiancé’s K-1?
The K-1 visa, also known as the fiancé visa, is a popular type of non-immigrant visa for engaged couples planning to marry within 90 days of entering the United States. To qualify for a K-1 visa, the U.S. citizen petitioner must be a citizen, intend to marry within 90 days...
DHS Publishes Federal Register Notice Announcing the Extensions of Re-Registration Periods for Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan
Release Date 12/13/2023 WASHINGTON – Consistent with its September announcement, the Department of Homeland Security today published a Federal Register notice reiterating the extensions of the periods to re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the existing designations of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. As previously announced,...
USCIS Increases Employment Authorization Document Validity Period for Certain Categories
Release Date 09/27/2023 We are updating guidance in the Policy Manual to increase the maximum validity period to 5 years for initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens who are employment authorized incident to status or circumstance, including those admitted as refugees, paroled as refugees, and granted...
Important Update on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Release Date 09/18/2023 On Sept. 13, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a decision finding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Final Rule unlawful and expanding the original July 16, 2021 injunction and order of vacatur to cover the Final Rule. However, the...
DHS Extends TPS Re-registration Periods for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan to 18 Months
Release Date 09/08/2023 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending from 60 days to 18 months the periods to re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the designations of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan. The 18-month re-registration period under the designation of: • El Salvador now...
DHS Announces Family Reunification Parole Process for Ecuador
Release Date: 10/18/2023 Biden-Harris Administration continues strategy to provide lawful pathways and reduce dangerous irregular migration WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a new family reunification parole process for certain nationals of Ecuador, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s effective strategy to combine expanded lawful pathways and strengthened...
U.S. Embassy in Bogota Begins Processing Venezuelan Immigrant Visas
Cite as “AILA Doc 19022834” (Posted 02/28/19) The U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela has suspended routine visa services due to the ordered departure of nonemergency personnel. Nonimmigrant visa applications may be submitted at an Embassy or Consulate outside of Venezuela. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia has been designated as...
CONSUMER ALERT ON DAPA AND DACA
Cite as “AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 14122244 (posted Dec. 22, 2014)” President Obama’s announced administrative relief has created some confusion about who might be eligible for expanded DACA and the new DAPA program. This consumer alert offers a one-page summary of eligibility and warns against scammers and notaries. CONSUMER ADVISORY...
Current State of the ICE Secure Communities Program
Leaders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently met with leaders from the American Immigration Lawyers Association to discuss the current state of the Secure Communities Program, a system by which aliens in criminal custody are apprehended by Immigration authorities. ICE officials claim that in most cases, they adhere...
DREAM Act Reintroduced in Congress
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was reintroduced into Congress today by Senator Dick Durbin, Representatives Howard Berman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and other Congressional leaders. The DREAM Act passed the House of Representatives in November of 2010, but failed to pass the Senate. If the DREAM Act...