All posts by Prerna Lal

Resources for Afghanistan Refugees and SIV Applicants

We are heartbroken about the situation in Afghanistan right now, especially coming on the heels of decades of colonial occupation and war, and angry at the Biden Administration’s massive failure to do anything remotely helpful for thousands of displaced persons. Please check this resource list (updated daily) from Women for Afghan women if you or someone you know needs help in Afghanistan. LEGAL SERVICES Complete list Immigration Relief for...

Lal Legal Sues State Department Over Denial of U.S. Passport Renewal

Our lawsuit against the State Department over denial of a U.S. passport to a U.S. citizen is featured in Prism News this week. The case concerns the State Department practice of denying U.S. passports to Americans due to delayed registrations of their birth, and placing higher burdens on Americans to prove the fact of their births. The Department has engaged in this racist and nefarious practice for more than...

New Guidance On DACA and Advance Parole

We have an updated FAQ available on DACA as individuals who have previously never had DACA are eligible to apply now. We also have guidance available on advance parole here, as well as travel tips for those traveling on advance parole. We’re working with local non-profits such as Grassroots Leadership to be able to fund a limited set of initial DACA applications for individuals who have never had DACA...

Hopes and Expectations of a Biden Administration

For four long and hard years, the Trump administration has reshaped the United States immigration system through anti-immigrant executive action, proclamations, policy memos, and regulatory changes. The good news is that President-elect Joe Biden and VP-elect Kamala Harris can undo almost every change through the same mechanisms without having to go through the legislative branch. The bad news is that the newly elected administration must have the will to...

October Surprise: USCIS Fee Increases

It’s not really the October surprise but a long time coming. Last year, the agency proposed atrocious fee increases across for various immigration applications, which are now going into effect starting October 2, 2020. Fees for adjustment of status filings (green cards) would sky-rocket from the current $1760 to around $2900 if persons want interim benefits such as work and travel authorization. Fees for filing for naturalization will increase...

Who did Trump Ban From the United States With His New Presidential Proclamation?

Note: These Presidential proclamations impact only the issuance of visas to the United States. These proclamations do not impact anyone who is seeking a change or adjustment of status on U.S. soil. President Trump finally issued a Presidential Proclamation that had been in the rumor mills for some time. What does the new proclamation do? First, it extends the ban on certain immigrant visas until December 31, 2020. Readers...

SCOTUS Upholds DACA, Giving Temporary Victory to Many Undocumented Immigrants

In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of the United States narrowly threw a lifeline to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by holding that the Trump administration sought to end the program in an arbitrary and capricious manner. For now, DACA lives. However, the Supreme Court decision did not say that DACA is legal or that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had to keep...

California COVID-19 Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, California is providing one-time first-come, first-serve state-funded disaster relief assistance to undocumented individuals who are ineligible for other forms of assistance, including assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and pandemic unemployment benefits. Who is eligible? Eligible individuals must be able to provide information that they (1) are an undocumented adult (person over the age of 18); (2) are...

Immigration In Pandemic Times Vol. 1, No. 3

Catch all our coverage of the news as it pertains to immigration in these pandemic times by subscribing to our feed and following our blog here. True to our analysis about the short-sightedness of immigration travel bans, several virologists have theorized that the ensuing rush of Americans trying to come back home from Europe after the Trump administration announced a ban on all travel from the continent, may be...

Immigration In Pandemic Times Vol. 1, No. 2

See Vol. 1, No. 1 here A quick immigration news round-up this week: The United States continues to flout its international law obligations by expelling thousands of child migrants by using COVID-19 as the reason. In a unanimous opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld part of the federal anti-harboring statute that outlaws encouraging undocumented immigrants to remain in the country unlawfully. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had held...