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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... -
Immigration In Pandemic Times Vol. 1, No. 1
While we are quarantined, we plan to do quick summaries of immigration news for our clients and visitors to this site. If enough people find this useful, we may continue to do so when our physical office reopen. A quick immigration news round-up this week: A federal judge in Oregon has refused to suspend President Donald Trump’s recent presidential proclamation that put a 60-day ban on immigrant visas for... -
COVID-19 Chronicles – Immigration Options In These Times
Typically, in times of crisis and emergency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement reduces enforcement efforts, and USCIS issues temporary relief measures. Given the xenophobia of the current administration, we cannot rely on them to support our recommendations to allow for automatic extension of work permits, releasing persons from ICE detention, grant a moratorium on deportations, and other common sense proposals. Below, we discuss some options that may be available to... -
A Message About Trump’s “Immigration Ban” Presidential Proclamation
On Monday night, President Trump tweeted that he was banning all immigration to the U.S. in response to the coronavirus and to protect American jobs. Long story short, he doesn’t have the authority to do that under any statute except for Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which allows him to impose a temporary travel ban on some immigrants and non-immigrants. After his ill-timed tweet, his advisors scrambled to prepare... -
Can Trump Really Ban All Immigration to the United States?
TLDR version: No. Update: As expected, a “U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who requested anonymity said it would only apply to people applying for permanent residence from outside the United States, not those already in the country seeking to adjust their status.” Source: MSN President Trump sent immigration policy advocates, lawyers, and aspiring immigrants into a frenzy tonight with his hyperbolic tweet that he is looking into banning...
