Mar
13

Matter of A-B- III - the everchanging legal standards for asylum and domestic violence

Matter of A-B- III -  What Is Old Is New Again?

To qualify for asylum, a person must have a “well-founded fear” of persecution based on past persecution or risk of persecution in the future “on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” While gender is not one of the protected grounds, survivors of domestic assault, for example, would sometimes qualify under the “particular social group” rubric.

In Matter or A-R-C-G-, which was decided in 2014, the Board of Immigration Appeals (Board) found that “married women in...

Mar
13

Finally! Temporary Work Permits for Pending U Visas

Relief for U Visa Applicants – USCIS Finally Issuing Temporary Work Permits Following Bona Fide Determinations

Waiting for a U visa approval—and the work permit that comes with it—can seem like an eternity.  The government continues to report that it is taking 60.5-61 months or just over 5 years for USCIS to issue a decision on a U visa application, with some applicants waiting much longer.  After 10 years, and quite a bit of urging from Wilson Law Group and other stakeholders, USCIS finally authorized what is known as the (p)(6) work permit.  This is a work permit for individuals...