Green Cards Archives - Page 4 of 21

2 05, 2019

Smoking Marijuana May Be Hazardous to Your Immigration Health

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:35:05-05:00May 2nd, 2019|Categories: 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, Green Cards, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Published May 2, 2019 A lawful permanent resident (green card holder) seeking to become a U.S. citizen must fulfill a number of requirements when submitting their Application for Naturalization and in order to be approved to take the oath of U.S. citizenship. In addition to a requisite number of years of permanent residence and physical presence in the U.S., an applicant for naturalization must demonstrate that he/she is of “good moral character” and for a specified period leading up to their application. Now, according to a new policy memo issued by the Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services [...]

22 04, 2019

Increased Powers to BIA Judges; H-1B Visa Denials Skyrocket

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:36:59-05:00April 22nd, 2019|Categories: Asylum in the United States, Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Published April 22, 2019 Department of Justice Aiming to Expand Powers of Appellate Immigration Judges The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is the appellate body where a party can seek review of an Immigration Judge’s decision in an initial removal (deportation) proceeding. The agencies overseeing the initial removal proceedings court as well as the appellate court are under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which itself is a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. In recent days, it has been reported that the Trump administration is considering implementation of a plan to expand the power of […]

24 03, 2019

The Top 6 Reasons to Hire An Immigration Lawyer

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:42:07-05:00March 24th, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, General, Green Cards, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Immigration and PERM / Labor Certification, immigration reform, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Uncategorized, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Published March 24, 2019 Whether the goal is U.S. citizenship via naturalization, lawful permanent residence (green card) or the issuance of a temporary visa – such as a work visa, having an immigration lawyer be a part of the legal process can sometimes be extraordinarily helpful and in other times, absolutely essential. The job of the immigration lawyer can best be summed up as follows: A) to keep simple, straightforward cases…..simple and straightforward, B) to devise and implement a thoughtful strategy for cases involving more complex factual or legal issues and C) to provide a client with the type of […]

24 01, 2019

Applying for Naturalization – 2 Big Decisionmaking Trends

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:49:16-05:00January 24th, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Green Cards, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Published January 24, 2019 Applying for U.S. citizenship after accumulating the requisite number of years of permanent residence should not be an automatic decision. In recent years, U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) seems to be taking a more aggressive approach in deciding applications for naturalization, with increased scrutiny applied to an applicant’s history both before AND after obtaining permanent residence. That is, to a certain degree immigration officers are looking back at how the applicant obtained their green card status in the first place and engaging in a reassessment of whether that decision was indeed proper. […]

10 01, 2019

How Are Immigration Related Services and Offices Impacted By the Government Shutdown?

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:51:06-05:00January 10th, 2019|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Foreign Exchange Student Visas to the U.S., Green Cards, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Immigration and PERM / Labor Certification, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Uncategorized, United States Embassies Abroad|

Published January 10, 2019 As our nation is headed toward the longest government shutdown in our history, many of the players impacted, including companies petitioning foreign workers as well as individuals in all our immigrant communities, are asking questions about how the shutdown impacts immigration system related processing. Can I obtain a U.S. passport? Is my Green Card application interview in the U.S. still going to be conducted? Can I still apply for a visa at a U.S. consular post abroad? These and other questions are answered below – and with the answer usually dependent on whether the applicant is […]

13 12, 2018

New Guidance Regarding Necessity of I-751 Interviews

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:55:35-05:00December 13th, 2018|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Published December 13, 2018 Foreign nationals married for less than two years at the time they enter the U.S. on their immigrant visas or are approved for adjustment of status to resident status (for those processing in the U.S. ) are generally issued a 2 year, conditional resident status. To convert their 2 year resident card to a permanent, renewable 10 year green card, the conditional resident is expected to file Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence in the 90 day period leading up to the card’s expiration. Such a filing typically involves the presentation of proof of […]

28 11, 2018

What is a Conviction for Immigration Purposes?

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:57:50-05:00November 28th, 2018|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), General, 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, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Published November 28, 2018 Foreign nationals who are the subject of a criminal arrest or charges must take proper care to make informed decisions when it comes to consideration of plea deals being offered by the prosecuting entity. That is because convictions for certain crimes may negatively impact the individual’s immigration status in one way or another. In addition to which crimes may lead to negative immigration consequences, foreign nationals must also pay attention to whether the plea deal leads to a “conviction” for immigration purposes, and regardless of how the criminal court may label it. Foreign nationals who plead […]

16 11, 2018

Widespread Delays Continue to Plague Most Immigration Filings

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T15:59:49-05:00November 16th, 2018|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 Health Care Workers in the U.S., Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Published November 16, 2018 Applicants for immigration benefits in the U.S. such as lawful permanent residence, citizenship, employment authorization document (EAD), advance parole travel document (AP) and for removal of conditional basis on residence are seeing processing of their filings plagued by extraordinary delays. Finding a reason for these delays is not easy, since processing costs are funded by applicant filing fees (not taxpayer money) and there has been no substantial change in the processing environment. Thus the only rational explanation would be that the administration has made a choice to slow down processing, a choice that has caused havoc […]

19 10, 2018

Medical Exams: New Policy in Effect for Adjustment of Status Applicants

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T16:02:45-05:00October 19th, 2018|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 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, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Published October 19, 2018 With few exceptions, individuals seeking to reside permanently in the U.S. and obtain lawful permanent resident or “green card” status, must document they are not subject to a medical basis of inadmissibility. Whether the applicant is undergoing the consular processing of their immigrant visa at a U.S. consular post outside the U.S. or is obtaining their residence by way of an I-485 “adjustment of status” application in the U.S., a sealed medical exam report prepared by an accredited physician must be presented in support of their application. The purpose of the exam is to screen the […]

4 10, 2018

This Year’s Green Card Lottery (DV-2020) Begins

By Richard Hanus|2020-05-01T16:08:13-05:00October 4th, 2018|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), General, Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Visa Lottery and Diversity Visas to the U.S.|

Published October 4, 2018 Once again, millions of people from around the world will be vying for a chance to reside in the U.S. by way of an entry into the DV Visa Lottery. For the upcoming fiscal year the DV-2020 Visa Lottery program makes available 50,000 “diversity” immigrant visas for certain qualified individuals from the vast majority of the world’s countries. Excluded from eligibility are natives of Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong […]

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