In this post, we would like to provide our readers with an important update released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with respect to the public charge rule. Given the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of the government, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)…
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Trump Administration Files Emergency Appeal to Enforce Public Charge Rule
Welcome back to our blog! We kick off the week by bringing you recent developments regarding the government’s controversial rule entitled, “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds” which sought to expand the scope of public benefits that could render a permanent resident or immigrant visa applicant ineligible for immigration benefits. As…
CBP Confirms Expansion of Expedited Removal Program for Asylum Seekers
The Trump administration is in full gear to expedite the removal of hundreds of asylum seekers, most of which are arriving from Central America. As early as October of 2019, the Washington Post made public the existence of a confidential pilot program coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and…
Last Day to Comment on Proposed Rule Increasing Immigration Fees
In this blog post, we would like to remind our readers that today is the last day to submit a public comment on the USCIS proposed rule increasing immigration fees for certain petitions. Initially USCIS had set a 30-day comment period ending on December 16, 2019, however the comment period…
Trump Administration Proposes Adding Minor Crimes to Offenses Barring Asylum
In its latest attempt to limit the entry of asylum seekers to the United States, the Trump administration has published a new proposal in the Federal Register entitled, “Procedures for Asylum and Bars to Asylum Eligibility,” adding minor crimes to the list of offenses that would bar individuals from obtaining…
Trump’s Policy Changes in 2019: A Year in Review
As we approach the end of the year, in this blog post, we look back at the major policy changes implemented by the Trump administration in the year 2019 that have had a profound impact on the way our immigration system functions today. JANUARY Government Shutdown Woes The start of…
USCIS Increases Premium Processing Fee
We have news for petitioners seeking to use premium processing services. The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule in the Federal Register on October 31, 2019 to increase the premium processing fee to account for inflation. The adjustment increased the premium processing fee from $1,410 to $1,440 beginning…
Where do the Top Democratic Candidates stand on immigration?
In this blog post we cover where the top democratic presidential candidates stand on the issue of immigration. At the moment only three Republicans have announced their participation in the 2020 election, therefore we will focus on the democratic candidates until more Republican candidates have formally announced their presidential bids.…
USCIS Publishes Rule to Increase Fees for Certain Petitions
On November 14, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register to increase immigration fees for certain petitions. After publication, the proposal will be open for a 30-day comment period. After that point the agency will review public comments and draft…
Consular Officers Given Wide Discretionary Power to Deny Visas on Public Charge Grounds
In its latest act of defiance against the judicial branch, the Trump administration has published an Interim Final Rule entitled “Visas: Ineligibility Based on Public Charge Grounds,” designed to give Consular officers wider discretion to deny immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to applicants on public charge grounds based on a variety…