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Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.

11 07, 2003

Common Questions Facing Applicants for U.S. Citizenship

By |2003-07-11T14:00:36-05:00July 11th, 2003|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., Green Cards, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Common Questions Facing Applicants for U.S. Citizenship July 11, 2003 The requirements to become a U.S. citizen by way of an N-400 Application for Naturalization are generally not complicated, although situations frequently arise where significant questions regarding an applicant’s eligibility are raised. General Requirements for Naturalization: The applicant must be at least 18 years of age and a lawful permanent resident for 5 years. For those who are married to a U.S. citizen, the requirement is only 3 years or residence, although the applicant must have been married to and living with that U.S. citizen spouse for at least 3 years […]

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28 02, 2003

INS Adjudications Delays, INS Fees and Some Scary Legislative Proposals

By |2003-02-28T14:00:36-06:00February 28th, 2003|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-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

INS Adjudications Delays, INS Fees and Some Scary Legislative Proposals February 28, 2003 INS Adjudication Delays As previously covered in this column, INS offices around the U.S. have implemented new security check protocols in the processing of various applications for immigration benefits, particularly lawful permanent residence and U.S. citizenship. Specifically, before an applicant is granted their immigration benefit, the INS must receive the green light from the FBI after their name is processed through the FBI’s own security filter. This protocol is in addition to the fingerprint check wherein the applicant’s prints are analyzed against a nationwide database of federal, state […]

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31 01, 2003

LIFE Legalization Filing Deadline

By |2003-01-31T14:00:36-06:00January 31st, 2003|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants 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.|

LIFE Legalization Filing Deadline January 31, 2003 Firstly, before any of our readers gets too excited, LIFE Legalization is not a new program. Instead, it is a follow up piece of legislation put in place in the wake of President Reagan’s amnesty law, also known as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”), and the many class action lawsuits that followed. And LIFE Legalization is now in the news because the Immigration and Naturalization Service is conducting a nationwide media campaign to remind eligible applicants of the filing deadline. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, most in the undocumented/overstay community will […]

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13 12, 2002

Decisions Halted on Applications for U.S. Permanent Residence and Citizenship

By |2002-12-13T14:00:36-06:00December 13th, 2002|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), Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Decisions Halted on Applications for U.S. Permanent Residence and Citizenship December 13, 2002 A new security initiative put in place by the INS in the past 2 weeks has led to a halt in the issuance of final decisions on applications for adjustment of status (permanent residence) and U.S. citizenship. This initiative impacts only applications pending in the U.S., such as at local INS District Offices like Chicago’s, and does not have a direct effect on overseas consular processing of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. Q: Why has this initiative been put in place? A: Security. The initiative stems from a November […]

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7 11, 2002

Family Based Immigrant Visa Availability – Rapid Progress Expected in the Coming Months

By |2002-11-07T14:00:36-06:00November 7th, 2002|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, Family-Based Immigration Law, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, United States Embassies Abroad|

Family Based Immigrant Visa Availability – Rapid Progress Expected in the Coming Months November 7, 2002 By federal statute, roughly 500,000 family-based immigrant visas and 140,000 employment based immigrant visas become available each fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and runs through September 30. This number does not include the 55,000 immigrant visas that become available each year through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, a program which excludes citizens of several countries including the Philippines. Despite the large number of available immigrant visas, long lines have formed in all of the family based categories since the demand for these visas […]

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2 08, 2002

Significant New Benefits For Employment-Based Green Card Applicants

By |2002-08-02T14:00:36-05:00August 2nd, 2002|Categories: Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Significant New Benefits For Employment-Based Green Card Applicants August 2, 2002 For qualifying applicants in the U.S. seeking U.S. lawful permanent residence (“green card”) by way of a job offer, the process has just gotten quicker. Essentially, what used to be a 3 step process, has recently been reduced to a 2 step process – where at least 3 to 6 months of processing time can be cut out, and the issuance of an Employment Authorization Document can be facilitated on a more efficient track. In a nutshell, applicants now have the option of commencing Stages 2 & 3, described below, […]

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18 07, 2002

INS Chicago Implements New Advance Parole Procedures

By |2002-07-18T14:00:36-05:00July 18th, 2002|Categories: Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

INS Chicago Implements New Advance Parole Procedures July 18, 2002 In the past month INS Chicago announced new procedures for the processing of requests for advance parole travel documents, with the major change being a 30 day processing time, rather than the previous 1 day, walk up service. Firstly, what is an advance parole travel document? The advance parole document, also referred to as a “parole visa” in some communities, is a document that allows individuals residing in the U.S. with pending I-485 applications for adjustment of status (for permanent residence or “green card”) to reenter the U.S. after traveling abroad […]

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27 06, 2002

Foreign Nationals Graduating High School in U.S. May Become Eligible for New Immigration Benefits

By |2002-06-27T14:00:36-05:00June 27th, 2002|Categories: Foreign Exchange Student Visas to the U.S., Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Foreign Nationals Graduating High School in U.S. May Become Eligible for New Immigration Benefits June 27, 2002 With bi-partisan support, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has given the green light to an “amnesty” type legislative proposal that could potentially benefit large numbers of foreign nationals graduating from high school in the U.S. At this point, the proposal has yet to be passed into law and the details are still sketchy. Also uncertain is whether the proposal has a chance of being voted into law by the full Congress and signed by the President. Those who stand to benefit from this proposal […]

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26 04, 2002

New Legislation: Death of Petitioning U.S. Relative No Longer Means Death to the Immigration Process

By |2002-04-26T14:00:36-05:00April 26th, 2002|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

New Legislation: Death of Petitioning U.S. Relative No Longer Means Death to the Immigration Process April 26, 2002 INS regulations state that when a petitioning U.S. relative dies, so does the alien relative petition he/she filed on behalf of their foreign spouse, child, parent or sibling. The underlying policy being, since the basis of the foreign relative’s purpose in living in the U.S. no longer exists, consequently no good reason exists for the continued validity of the previously filed petition. Then again, however, INS regulations also recognize that extraordinary humanitarian considerations may justify the reinstatement of such a petition even though […]

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22 03, 2002

New Section 245(i) Provision Passed by House of Representatives and Awaiting the President’s Signature

By |2002-03-22T14:00:36-06:00March 22nd, 2002|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, United States Embassies Abroad|

New Section 245(i) Provision Passed by House of Representatives and Awaiting the President’s Signature March 22, 2002 By now many have heard that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new Section 245(i) provision and that all we are waiting for is the President’s signature. What most have not heard is the fact that the proposed provision will benefit a very limited class of illegal aliens. And whether Section 245(i) will actually be reenacted in any form whatsoever, remains to be seen. What does the new, Section 245(i) proposal provide? First of all, a history lesson. Remember, Section 245(i) is not […]

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