Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S.

15 04, 2013

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

By |2013-04-15T07:59:18-05:00April 15th, 2013|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , |

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 moment because A) the proposal is NOT law yet and B) the actual legislation signed into law, if and when that happens, may very well bear little resemblance to the draft bill released to the public this week. In general, most expect any new law to […]

1 04, 2013

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

By |2013-04-01T08:20:38-05:00April 1st, 2013|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , , |

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 the wide spectrum of immigrant groups I represent, and of course, the politics.  About today’s politics I know this – the significant losses sustained by Republican candidates in our most recent elections, including Mitt Romney, are in large part attributed to the views they espoused when it came to immigration.   Whether it be “kick em all out” […]

11 02, 2013

Another Reason to Stay Away From Immigration Consultants

By |2013-02-11T09:52:50-06:00February 11th, 2013|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, General, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Published: February 11, 2013 By the end of the summer, if not sooner, it is very possible Congress will act to provide undocumented individuals an avenue toward legalizing their status in the U.S. Exactly what the terms or requirements of such legislation will be, or whether for certain a measure will be enacted at all, is unknown. But, if there will be a new law, it is guaranteed, non-attorney, “immigration consultants” will be popping up all over the place to provide a “service” in helping foreign nationals negotiate the process Congress lays out. Immigration consultants charge a fee to answer questions, […]

12 11, 2012

Obama Victory = Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

By |2012-11-12T09:09:45-06:00November 12th, 2012|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , , , |

Published: November 12, 2012 According to many of our nation’s leading pundits and political commentators, it was the “Hispanic Vote” that made President Obama’s reelection possible. What exactly is the “Hispanic Vote”? It seems to have a variety of meanings, although the common theme would be that it is the demographic composed of U.S. citizens with origins in Mexico and Central and South America. President Obama won an overwhelming majority of this segment of our electorate, and no doubt that was as much as result of what President Obama made clear he stood for, as it did with what Candidate Romney’s […]

18 06, 2012

Obama’s Brilliant Political Move: Employment Authorization – although Not Green Cards – for Qualified Undocumented Young Adults

By |2012-06-18T21:15:16-05:00June 18th, 2012|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , |

Published: June 18, 2012 The “DREAM Act” Inspired Program In A Nutshell: Young adults who: A) have completed high school, their G.E.D. or were honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces, B) have lived in the U.S. for more than 5 years, C) have no significant criminal records and D) are under the age of 30…..…… will now have an opportunity to remain in the U.S. and obtain an employment authorization document, thanks to a new executive directive announced by President Obama last week.  Intake procedures and processing logistics have yet to be implemented, but it appears the launch of this program […]

4 01, 2012

My Take on Republican Takes on Immigration

By |2012-01-04T09:44:28-06:00January 4th, 2012|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, 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, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , |

Published: January 4, 2012 President Obama has always made it known that he favors the enactment of some form of comprehensive immigration reform to allow for a “path to citizenship” for at least some of the approximately 12 million living in the U.S. without legal immigration status. During his term, it’s been a Republican Congress that’s been the main obstacle to getting any type of immigration reform initiative passed, whether it be the DREAM Act, or more comprehensive reform proposals. If you are wondering how the Republican candidates for President would approach the issue – below are direct quotes attributed to […]

28 11, 2011

Newt’s Nerve

By |2011-11-28T15:53:36-06:00November 28th, 2011|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|Tags: , , , , |

Published:  November 28, 2011 Watching presidential debates is not one of my favorite things to do, mainly because I have a hard time believing a single word coming out of any of the participants’ mouths.  The posturing is so obvious, with each candidate trying their hardest to get their sound bites in, and say the things their “people” tell them they need to say.  So it was by accident – while looking for enjoyable garbage to watch on the Dumb Box (my mother’s affectionate term for the television), that I happened upon the debate involving Republican candidates for President last week.  […]

22 08, 2011

Mercy for Non-Criminals Facing Deportation

By |2011-08-22T16:00:18-05:00August 22nd, 2011|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|Tags: , |

Published:  August 22, 2011 It made a splash, a big splash, even a misunderstood splash (as is common with splashes in immigration law).  Last week, the Obama Administration delivered the news that it would be re-prioritizing its immigration enforcement efforts, starting with a review of 300,000 removal (deportation) cases pending on the immigration court docket and consideration of “administrative closure” for the cases of non-criminals.  Administrative closure effectively, and indefinitely, puts a halt to the deportation process.  Furthermore, an individual benefiting from administrative closure mercy will be eligible to obtain an Employment Authorization Document. This announcement offers hope to many in […]

26 01, 2011

Options to Adjust Status in the U.S. for the Undocumented/Overstay – What’s Left?

By |2011-01-26T10:29:06-06:00January 26th, 2011|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Published:  January 26, 2011 With the DREAM Act out of the picture for now, the 15 million undocumented/out of status immigrants living in the U.S. are left wondering, what options for living legally in the U.S. are left? Of course leaving the U.S. is not an option for the vast majority of these immigrants – contrary to what the anti-legalization camp see as their next logical step. These individuals have already decided that life in the U.S. in an undocumented status is better than life as a legal resident in their home country. The option most of this population will pursue […]

20 12, 2010

UPDATE ON “DREAM ACT”: The DREAM is Over…For Now

By |2010-12-20T09:14:52-06:00December 20th, 2010|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Published: December 20, 2010 As most people have come to learn by now, the DREAM Act – the legislative initiative to allow for the legalization of 1 million or so undocumented individuals who came to the U.S. as children – has been shot down by Congress. The very same Republican force that gave birth to this legislative proposal a few years back was pretty much responsible for its demise. And yes, 2 +2 = 5.  PUBLISHED December 20, 2010 – “IMMIGRATION LAW FORUM” Copyright © 2010, By Law Offices of Richard Hanus, Chicago, Illinois

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