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23 06, 2022

The Dog Ate My Homework OR U.S. Immigration Can’t Process My Citizenship Application Because My File is Stuck in a Government Warehouse Basement

By |2022-06-23T17:25:31-05:00June 23rd, 2022|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, General|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published June 23, 2022 Over the course of the pandemic, people in the U.S. and around the world have gotten used to all kinds of inconveniences and delays.  There is a new normal out there and we humans have by and large learned to adapt and adjust our expectations.  The world of U.S. immigration and agency processing of applications such as for green cards and US citizenship is no exception, and delays related to both the pandemic and the previous administration’s neglect of our legal immigration system continue to rear their ugly head. In general, foreign nationals present [...]

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28 05, 2022

4 Essential Q & A’s on One of the Most Important Defenses to Deportation

By |2022-05-28T14:05:27-05:00May 28th, 2022|Categories: General, Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published May 28, 2022 For foreign nationals living in the U.S. for an extended period without immigration status, one of the most often used and potent defenses to deportation is an Application for Cancellation of Removal for Nonpermanent Residents (FORM EOIR-42B).  Whether they overstayed their visa or entered the U.S. without inspection, an undocumented foreign national who meets certain eligibility requirements may qualify for Cancellation of Removal, an avenue for relief that leads to green card issuance.  The ultimate decisionmaker on this type of application is the Immigration Judge presiding over removal proceedings, and with a U.S. Department [...]

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3 05, 2022

EAD Backlog: Immigration Authorities Implement Practical Fix for a Pressing Problem

By |2022-05-05T08:42:47-05:00May 3rd, 2022|Categories: Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., General|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published May 3, 2022 Up until a few years ago, the renewal of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for foreign nationals residing in the U.S. was rarely a matter of news or drama.  These days though, EAD holders and their employers are facing way too much challenge when it comes to following the law.  What should be a boring, routine process for our legal immigration system has turned into one that all too often involves  crisis. First, the system is now facing an accumulated backlog of 1.5 million EAD applications.  Additionally, foreign nationals are facing impossibly long processing times – more [...]

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11 04, 2022

Nurse Recruiters and Alleged Marriage Fraudsters Face the Legal Music

By |2022-04-12T08:04:42-05:00April 11th, 2022|Categories: General, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published April 11, 2022 This past week brought news of companies and individuals facing legal consequences for dishonest and even fraudulent U.S. immigration related enterprises.  The transactions at issue involved foreign nationals being promised U.S. immigration benefits, such as lawful permanent resident status (green card), one by way of the filings of a registered nurse recruiter and the other by way of an "agency" offering to arrange sham marriages to U.S. citizens.  The steady stream of news like this confirms just how valuable and attractive the ability to live and work in the U.S. continues to be. 2 Nursing [...]

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27 03, 2022

Our Nation’s Nursing Crisis: How Quick Fixes to Our Immigration System Could Go a Long Way to Ease the Pain

By |2022-03-27T16:06:03-05:00March 27th, 2022|Categories: General, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S.|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published March 24, 2022 While the U.S. faces an unprecedented healthcare worker shortage, our U.S. immigration system in theory potentially offers a variety of solutions toward bringing foreign workers here to fill these roles.  This is especially the case for registered nurses, who work in a space the U.S. Congress, decades ago, has already designated as a “shortage occupation”.  But notwithstanding our nation’s desperate need to fill positions and the huge numbers of foreign RN’s looking to live in the U.S., our legal immigration system fails in meaningfully addressing this need, as it is plagued by far [...]

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6 03, 2022

Ukrainians in the U.S. Get Temporary Protected Status: What is it? Does it Automatically Lead to Asylum or Green Card?

By |2022-03-06T17:00:05-06:00March 6th, 2022|Categories: Asylum in the United States, General|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published March 6, 2022 When grave humanitarian crises arise around the world, the U.S. government has the power to provide protection to citizens of impacted nations present in the U.S. by designating those foreign nationals for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).  Whether the crisis is due to war, natural disaster or other extraordinary humanitarian circumstances, TPS allows foreign nationals of that country present in the U.S., and no matter their immigration status, to live and work here for a specified period. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. last week announced that Ukrainians present in the U.S. as [...]

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6 02, 2022

What to Consider Before Hiring a Chicago Immigration Attorney

By |2022-02-06T08:48:23-06:00February 6th, 2022|Categories: General|

Even if it is not a frequent thing, there will come a time in your life when you will need to hire a lawyer for court representation, legal advice, filing, and/or other services. Besides, whether you need immigration legal help individually, or on behalf of your business, one thing is for sure: you should select the right attorney for the best possible outcome. The truth, however, is that selecting the right immigration law office in Chicago, IL and elsewhere can be a difficult process. To make things easier for you, here are the top factors to consider when hiring a Chicago [...]

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1 02, 2022

A Fresh, New Supply of H-1B Visas is About to Drop

By |2022-02-01T16:16:56-06:00February 1st, 2022|Categories: General, Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published February 1, 2022 The H-1B work visa season will soon be upon us and it’s time to start preparing.  More specifically, starting Noon EST March 1, 2022 and through Noon EST March 18, 2022, registration for the online H-1B visa lottery opens, giving employers a chance at one of 85,000 H-1B visas and for an October 1, 2022 start date, the start of fiscal year 2023.  After the online registration period is complete, US Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services (US CIS) will randomly choose from the pool of entrants, which last year exceeded 309,000. [...]

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23 01, 2022

Our Immigration System Just Became a Little More Welcoming for STEM Grads

By |2022-01-23T10:14:16-06:00January 23rd, 2022|Categories: Employment-Based Immigration Law, General|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published January 22, 2022 Moving to the U.S. based on a job offer or professional skills is no easy task and can involve some of the most complicated bureaucratic processes our government has to offer.   It’s not that the law is so complicated, as much as it involves a path riddled with hidden mines and obstacles that leave too many talented intending immigrants left looking elsewhere to pursue their ambitions.  This is particularly true for foreign nationals who come to the U.S. to attend high level student visa programs, but are then left with limited avenues to legally remain [...]

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31 12, 2021

Big Changes: Expedited Employment Authorizations for Healthcare Workers & Interview-less Work Visa Processing

By |2021-12-31T13:02:29-06:00December 31st, 2021|Categories: Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., General|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published December 31, 2021 Inch by inch, our government is trying to clean up various messes left behind by the Trump administration when it comes to our nation’s legal immigration system.  Whether it be neglected or poorly managed U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship and Immigration Services (US DHS/CIS) service centers or understaffed U.S. consular posts abroad, too many aspects of our legal immigration system are now facing monumental, yet avoidable, delays.  Add to the mix a pandemic, and the cracks in our legal immigration system are further amplified, with significant consequences for countless numbers of U.S. employers and the hundreds of thousands [...]

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