Jan
5

Don't Open the Door to Strangers!

It’s the middle of the night.  You are in bed, maybe asleep, maybe trying to get to sleep.  All of a sudden there is a banging on the door, and shouts of, “Police!  Open!  Police!”  Or maybe there is regular, constant knocking and someone asking, “Anyone home?  Hello?”  Startled, you jump out of bed, go to the door and open it.  Maybe you speak English, maybe you do not.  Two uniformed police officers are at the door and say there has been an accident, they need to see your son, your husband, or your wife.  What do you do?

Police cannot simply come into your house...

Nov
29

Avoiding Immigration Problems with Marijuana Tickets

  In Minnesota, there are many levels of marijuana related criminal charges. The amount of marijuana which a person possesses or sells determines the level of offense. Possession or sale of 42.5 grams or more of marijuana can lead to felony charges. Consequences for felony level marijuana related offenses range from a year and a day to 30 years in prison.

             Less serious marijuana related offenses include petty misdemeanor possession of a small amount of marijuana or misdemeanor possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle. Both possession of a small amount of marijuana and...

Nov
17

TPS In Trump’s Sights?

TPS In Trump’s Sights?

Earlier this month, DHS announced that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Nicaragua will terminate in 14 months. This means that Nicaraguans on TPS will have until January 5, 2019 to leave the country, apply for another immigration status, or lose immigration status altogether. It is estimated that this will affect about 2,500 people.

DHS also announced that it is considering termination of TPS for Hondurans but, claiming a lack of definitive information on the subject, the designation will be automatically extended for at least another six months....

Oct
6

Adopciones: Preguntas Frecuentes

Frecuentemente recibimos consultas y preguntas sobre adopciones en Wilson Law Group. Una adopción se trata cuando una persona o personas legalmente crean una relación de padre a hijo cuando no hay una relación biológica de padre a hijo. Por ley, un hijo adoptado hereda los mismos derechos, beneficios de seguro social, y la misma protección como los hijos biológicos. Aunque cada familia es diferente, estas son las preguntas frecuentes que recibimos sobre las adopciones.

Puede mi esposo/esposa o pareja adoptar a mi hijo?

Esta es una típica situación que vemos en Wilson Law Group....

Sep
12

Immigration Consequences of a Fifth Degree Possession of a Controlled Substance Charge

A controlled substance charge in and of itself likely means that your noncitizen client has the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), and that ICE will monitor the proceedings.  ICE may detain your client during the pendency of the criminal case, and the charge alone can cause your client to lose the ability to remain in the United States.  A controlled substance offense subjects a person to mandatory ICE detention with no chance of bond, depending on the facts, and even a favorable criminal outcome may still trigger immigration consequences.

Deportation

       ...

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....

Jun
18

Minnesota Child Support and Parenting Time: No Guarantees

A common question is: “Since I’m paying child support, I’m automatically entitled to parenting time with my kids, right?” The frustrating answer for many parents is: no; simply paying child support does not automatically grant a parent the right to parenting time with his or her children.

Under Minnesota law, when a child is born to an unmarried mother, the mother automatically has full legal and physical custody of the child. Minn. Stat. § 257.54. Even if the father signs a Recognition of Parentage and is on the birth certificate, this does not grant the father any rights to...

Jun
18

What Is Taking So Long! Current USCIS Processing Patterns

Slow.  The government is moving slow.   That is the pattern that is emerging in the first half of 2017.  Applications that moved quickly in the past are now taking longer, and USCIS keeps moving applications from one location to another one to balance its workloads.   

U Visas

The government can only issue 10,000 U visas every year. This means that there is a waitlist to be granted this type of visa. If the government believes an applicant’s submission is approvable, it can grant that person “deferred action” ahead of time, and allow them to get a work permit.

Currently, the...

Jun
18

Where's Mommy - Planning to Help Children When a Parent Is Unavailable

All parents panic at the thought of an emergency that separates a parent from a child and leaves the child temporarily with no immediate care provider.   No parent wants the state to take responsibility for their child, or consider foster care for a temporary situation when better options exists.   This parental concern is even stronger for parents who fear contact with Immigration & Customs Enforcement or another law enforcement agency.  There are legal tools that help a parent prepare for such a scenario.  

In many cases, the period of separation is less than twenty-four hours and...

May
1

Is Hope on the Horizon for H-2B Employers? Congress Is on the Verge of Passing Cap Relief.

The most recent budget bill thankfully includes limited visa cap relief for the H-2B category.  

Assuming the budget bill passes this week, the Department of Homeland Security will be able to increase the number of H-2B visas to 129,547.   The Department of Homeland Security will need to confer with the Secretary of the Department of Labor to confirm there is an economic need for the increase in visa numbers.    Given the demand for the visas and the clear shortfall that already exists, there is significant pressure on the administration to help businesses that depend on temporary...

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