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Richard's Blog

Featuring a series of immigration law articles spanning more than a decade, by Richard Hanus, Chicago immigration attorney and columnist.

As We Await Passage of a Legalization Measure, DREAM ACT/Deferred Action Applicants Continue to File; Some Scheduled for Interview

Richard Hanus

May 10, 2013

Published:  May 10, 2013 There are at least 11 million folks in the U.S. who are more than a little curious whether immigration reform and a legalization program will ever become law.  With legislators in Congress “marking up” proposals and negotiating the details of a new law, we will no doubt have a better sense of [...] Read more →

Additional Biometric Security Measure At Green Card and Citizenship Interviews

Richard Hanus

May 1, 2013

Published:  May 1, 2013 In the coming week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services offices across the U.S. will begin implementation of a new “Customer Identity Verification” process.  In the interest of national security and identity fraud prevention, applicants for U.S. citizenship, permanent... Read more →

I-94 Arrival/Departure Cards Become “Paperless”

Richard Hanus

April 27, 2013

Published:  April 27, 2013 For as long as anyone remembers, Form I-94 has been the white, passport sized card the majority of nonimmigrant foreign nationals have been issued and had stapled to a page in their passport upon entry into the U.S.  Whether entering as a visitor, student or worker, the foreign national, by way of their I-94 [...] Read more →

The Semantics of Immigration Reform; Never Mind the Details…..For Now

Richard Hanus

April 15, 2013

Published:  April 15, 2013 A draft of proposed immigration reform legislation has been released by the Gang of 8, that bipartisan group of U.S. Senators who have been attempting to style a legislative solution to our society’s current immigration related ills.  The details contained in the bill may or may not be of much relevance for the... Read more →

Poof! H-1B Visa Supply For Coming Fiscal Year Is Gone

Richard Hanus

April 10, 2013

Published:  April 10, 2013 The allotment of 85,000 “cap subject” H-1B work visas for fiscal year 2014, which runs from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014, was exhausted within the first week applications were accepted by Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). With employers allowed to submit their filings up to 6 months in... Read more →

Marco Rubio, Gang of 8 and Other Washington Immigration Players: Will The Talk Ever Turn to Action?

Richard Hanus

April 1, 2013

Published:  April 1, 2013 For the past two decades as a practicing immigration lawyer, I have come to be a student of everything immigration law – the actual laws, the way the laws are applied, the mindset of the powerful decision-makers who preside over immigration or deportation proceedings, the psychological/sociological state of... Read more →

Who Ends Up in Removal Proceedings?

Richard Hanus

March 9, 2013

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published:  March 9, 2013 With over 11 million+ undocumented individuals living in the U.S. and only a fraction of that population currently the subject of removal proceedings, a commonly asked question is:  how does one become unlucky enough to end up under the radar of immigration authorities and placed in... Read more →

2013 Poverty Guidelines for Sponsors Completing Affidavits of Support

Richard Hanus

February 27, 2013

Published:  February 27, 2013 Before intending family-based immigrants are issued their visa, or approved for adjustment of status, the petitioning U.S. family member or their joint co-sponsor will have to submit an I-864 Affidavit of Support (or acceptable I-864 variation) and most of the time, satisfy certain income requirements.  The most... Read more →

Approvals Continue for DREAMERS: Deferred Action/Employment Authorization Processing for DREAM ACT applicants

Richard Hanus

February 19, 2013

Published: February 19, 2013 As of February 19, 2013, more than 438,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (“DACA”) applications have been received by U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DACA applicants are also known as “DREAMERS” since they make up the demographic that would presumably benefit from previously proposed legislation... Read more →