Sep
3

Could Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration Affect Me?

The news has been rife with headlines about President Obama taking executive action on immigration reform.  If he does take action, whom would it affect and when would it occur?

Like many years before, the Congress talked extensively about immigration reform this year, but failed to take any action.  What is different now is that President Obama has stated he will takesome sort of action on his own.

So, what can the President do without the Congress’s approval, and who will it affect?

The President cannot unilaterally change who can become a legal permanent resident or a citizen.  He...

Nov
24

Immigration Policy Changes That Aim to Help Businesses and Workers

Last Thursday, President Obama announced a plan to help fix the immigration system through his executive authority that includes additional resources on the ground and elsewhere to secure the border, streamline the court process, and add more protections for crime victims. 

What do these announcements mean for U.S. business and foreign workers, however?  The announcement contained several measures designed to promote a more competitive destination for skilled workers, reduce major backlogs that force talent to leave, and modify outdated programs to better align with our modern...

Nov
29

Will Executive Action for Parents Ever Happen?

On November 10, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ordered to uphold an injunction against deferred action benefits for a broader group of students and parents of U.S. citizens. Over the last few days, I have spoken with countless people to clarify the confusion over the effect of the ruling, the future for the deferred action benefits, and the status of the first round of DACA benefits. So here is the breakdown:

First: The 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals 

In the summer of 2012 President Obama announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “DACA”, or...

Apr
8

The Latest Immigration Rumors - Truth v. Fiction

The past few months have been a busy time in the world of immigration law.  We know many people are struggling to filter truth from rumor.  In a climate like this, it can be hard to know what to believe and how to plan for the days ahead.  Here is what we know today, and possibly expect tomorrow under the current administration.   

The Travel Ban(s)

The Executive Orders addressing refugees and issuing visas has understandably caused a lot of confusion. The situation with this order is changing as litigation continues around the country to stop the travel ban(s) and at the moment the...

Sep
6

Sessions Rescinds DACA - what next?

On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “wind-down” of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Naturally, many people are questioning what that means, and so we have prepared a brief summary of the DACA rescission information, based on what is currently known.

The DACA program is scheduled to officially end on March 5, 2018. Beginning September 6, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will no longer accept initial DACA requests. This means that if someone has never applied for DACA in the past, they will not be able to apply now....