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Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application

26 11, 2020

How the Anxiety of Becoming a Naturalized U.S. Citizen is About to Double

By |2020-11-28T06:48:39-06:00November 26th, 2020|Categories: General, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Published November 26, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. Becoming a U.S. citizen can present numerous challenges for applicants, whether intellectually, logistically or in many cases, emotionally.  A deeply personal and meaningful process in the hands of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security immigration officer is an experience that can cause many foreign nationals to feel uneasy and full of angst, no matter their eligibility or confidence in other aspects of life.  That angst is going to soon become worse for many applicants, with the implementation of an expanded U.S. government/civics test component of the naturalization process, a test most of our U.S. [...]

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26 08, 2020

With Filing Fees Skyrocketing in October, Now Might be the Perfect Time to Apply to Become a U.S. Citizen

By |2020-11-14T12:39:37-06:00August 26th, 2020|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Published August 26, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. As of October 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s immigration benefits arm – Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) - is set to increase filing fees on a variety of applications.  Most notably, the filing fee to submit an N-400 Application for Naturalization, currently totaling $725.00, is scheduled to skyrocket to $1,170.00 when the new fee schedule takes effect. Other filing fee increases include petitions for most work visas, including for H-1B and L-1 visas, ranging from 21% to 75%, making it even more expensive for companies and foreign workers to avail of the [...]

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30 07, 2020

Uncertainty All Around For DACA and U.S. Immigration Operations In General

By |2020-11-14T12:40:15-06:00July 30th, 2020|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Published July 30, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. The nonstop, unprecedented flow of immigration news continues, including with regard to the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision rejecting the Trump Administration’s attempt to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Executive Order.  For certain, since the SCOTUS ruling, the Administration has waffled about DACA’s future, first making it clear it was going back to the drawing board to rescind DACA and curing the legally deficient procedures previously employed to end the program.  Then later, the President announced he wanted to find a way to make “DACA (people) happy” with [...]

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11 06, 2020

Immigration Related Government Offices Inching Their Way Back To Normalcy

By |2020-11-14T12:42:38-06:00June 11th, 2020|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings|

Published June 11, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Citizenship and Immigration Service local offices (US DHS/CIS): In the past week, the public has seen the first signs of normal operations at US DHS/CIS offices across the U.S., including the Chicago Field Office.   Approved applicants for U.S. citizenship who have been waiting to be scheduled for a ceremony to be sworn in as U.S. citizens are finally starting to receive notifications to appear.  The new dates are for mid-June, and due to social distancing requirements the number of applicants scheduled have been significantly reduced compared to previous practice. Further, [...]

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13 05, 2020

Large Scale H-1B Visa Lawsuit Settled; The Latest on Immigration Office and Court Operations

By |2020-11-14T12:44:00-06:00May 13th, 2020|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, United States Embassies Abroad|

Published May 13, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. Update:  One Year and a Federal Lawsuit Later, DHS Finally Approves 150 Pending H-1B Filings for Lab Technologists I cannot recall a time when so many federal lawsuits to compel or correct decisions by the Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/CIS) have been filed.  One recent example is the lawsuit filed by Management Healthcare Systems LLC (doing business as MedPro Staffing) in the District of Columbia 3 months ago to compel DHS/CIS to finally decide over 150 visa petitions for foreign medical lab technologists. At the time of filing in February, 2020, [...]

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1 04, 2020

Covid-19 and the Latest on Immigration-Related Government Office Operations and Policies

By |2020-11-14T12:45:57-06:00April 1st, 2020|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings|

Published April 1, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. I will start with the most recent events.  The first concerns removal/deportation proceedings against detained (in custody) immigrants.   Just yesterday, a variety of immigration lawyer advocacy groups, on behalf of several detained foreign nationals, filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice and the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) to put a halt to the policy of requiring attorneys and their detained clients appear in person for removal proceedings.  According to the lawsuit, the dangers associated with the outbreak of the Covid-19, especially at detention facilities and immigration court locations, put the health of [...]

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19 03, 2020

U.S. Immigration Offices and Courts – Confusion, Delay and Finally Some Definite News

By |2020-11-14T12:46:22-06:00March 19th, 2020|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings|

Published March 19, 2020 By: Richard Hanus, Esq. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, even a hailstorm, of information, misinformation, panic and confusion. On the most basic level, the lack of definite information about the extent of the coronavirus in general has been alarming. Of course there was and is so much we do not and could not know. On the other hand, the amount of knowable, concrete information that was not disseminated or acted upon when this crisis started to unfold was far from insignificant. Consistent with this state of affairs, the manner with which our federal government [...]

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31 12, 2019

2 or More DUI Convictions Are Now a Greater Obstacle for Immigration Applicants

By |2020-05-01T13:52:10-05:00December 31st, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Published December 31, 2019 In a recent ruling, the Attorney General of the United States announced a policy that will make it more difficult for foreign nationals with 2 or more driving under the influence of alcohol convictions to defend against deportation proceedings or ever become a U.S. citizen. The directive arose in the context of defining “good moral character” for purposes of undocumented foreign nationals fighting removal proceedings (also known as deportation proceedings) and seeking the relief of “cancellation of removal”. This defense, if successfully presented, serves to not only terminate removal proceedings but also lead to green card issuance. [...]

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8 12, 2019

Trump Administration Seeking Massive Increases in Immigration Filing Fees

By |2020-05-01T13:56:14-05:00December 8th, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Published December 8, 2019 Many prospective applicants for immigration related benefits are looking to stay a step ahead and submit their filings before a massive increase in application fees may be taking effect in coming months. More specifically, an increase in filing fees has been proposed for a wide array of applications submitted for consideration by U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services or “USCIS” (DHS’ immigration benefits division), including N-400 Application for Naturalization as well as for continued protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. According to Acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli, increases are required [...]

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22 09, 2019

Appeals Filing Fee May Skyrocket; Processing Times for Chicago Area Applicants

By |2020-05-01T14:13:41-05:00September 22nd, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings|

Published September 22, 2019   Administration Aims to Dramatically Increase Filing Fees for Appeals In an effort that will effectively deter appeals of certain immigration decisions within the deportation court system, the Trump administration is reportedly advancing a regulation to dramatically increase the filing fees associated with such appeals. The regulatory proposal being considered would increase the current filing fee of $110.00 by 900% to a total of $975.00 in most cases. If imposed, the new filing fee will create a severe financial obstacle for a significant portion of the impacted population, a mostly vulnerable population seeking to advance their right [...]

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