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About Richard Hanus

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26 06, 2023

U.S. Supreme Court: Biden Administration’s Immigration Enforcement Agenda Will Stand

By |2023-06-26T21:18:16-05:00June 26th, 2023|Categories: DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)|

By: Richard Hanus, Esq. June 26, 2023 Our nation is home to more than 11 million undocumented foreign nationals, a reality that has taken hold over the course of several decades and a half dozen presidential administrations.   Whether overstaying their visa or entering the U.S. without one, these immigrants, with some exceptions, work hard, pay taxes, and but for their immigration violations, are otherwise law abiding.   Like most of his recent predecessors, President Biden has put in place immigration enforcement priorities, coming to terms with the fact that budgetary constraints and other practicalities, prevent the initiation of deportation proceedings against a [...]

10 06, 2023

Why Is This New Immigration Proposal Different From All Other New Immigration Proposals?

By |2023-06-10T07:33:33-05:00June 10th, 2023|Categories: immigration reform|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. June 8, 2023  The Dignity Act is the name of the latest immigration reform proposal coming out of the U.S. House of Representatives.  News of the bipartisan bill was announced last month and its language covers extensive ground, ranging from improving border security, to making asylum processing fairer and more orderly, to establishing a legalization program and path to citizenship for millions of our nation’s undocumented. In the past 20+ years, significant bipartisan immigration proposals touching on many of the same issues have come and gone, with none reaching the finish line of being passed into law.   [...]

12 05, 2023

Immigration, Family and Death: Does the Green Card Process Die When the U.S. Petitioner Dies?  

By |2023-05-13T06:34:38-05:00May 12th, 2023|Categories: Family-Based Immigration Law|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. May 12, 2023 One of the questions I get asked most frequently has to do with the impact of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident’s death on a pending petition they previously filed for foreign national family, whether waiting overseas or in the U.S.  The answer varies depending on the circumstances, but many of my clients are pleasantly surprised to hear that not all hope should be lost.  As a matter of law, the death of a petitioning U.S. relative generally leads to the automatic revocation or discontinuation of the petition.  However, remedies to reinstate the [...]

25 04, 2023

How the U.S. Immigration System Fails Desperate Healthcare Facilities and Foreign R.N.’s

By |2023-04-26T06:43:55-05:00April 25th, 2023|Categories: Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S.|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. April 23, 2023 News from the U.S. Department of State earlier this month paints a picture of an increasingly frustrating immigrant visa line foreign workers, like registered nurses, are forced to wait in before arriving in the U.S.   The picture and long waits are ugly enough for foreign nurses and their petitioning employers to cut bait on all immigration efforts, or at least yearn for the old days. Back in the 1990’s when registered nursing had already been deemed to be a shortage profession, a healthcare facility looking to recruit foreign R.N.’s had the H-1A visa at [...]

4 04, 2023

After Finally Getting Your Green Card, There’s No Place Like “Home”

By |2023-04-05T12:36:13-05:00April 4th, 2023|Categories: Customs and Border Patrol / Travel to and from the U.S.|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. April 4, 2023 Being issued a Green Card, aka lawful permanent resident status, can be a huge game changer and bring a sense of relief for foreign nationals.  An undocumented immigrant living in the U.S. for many years without lawful status who finally obtains a Green Card, for example, now has the freedom to travel back to their home country for the first time in perhaps decades.   A foreign national entering the U.S. for the first time on their immigrant visa (Green Card) now has access to a world of educational, professional and economic opportunities previously unavailable [...]

29 03, 2023

8 Tips for Choosing an Immigration Law Office in Chicago, IL

By |2023-03-29T08:44:42-05:00March 29th, 2023|Categories: U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

The immigration process can be complex and overwhelming when handled without a lawyer. It is highly recommended that you partner with a qualified and experienced immigration lawyer to help you navigate the process. It ensures that you begin the process on the right foot and avoid making errors that will set your application back. If you are choosing an immigration law office in Chicago, IL, this blog post is for you. Here, we will highlight 8 practical tips to help you when hiring a lawyer for your immigration case. This includes getting a trusted referral, considering their experience, confirming their credentials, [...]

19 03, 2023

Immigrants Have One Less Reason To Visit a CIS Office

By |2023-03-19T16:49:48-05:00March 19th, 2023|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. March 19, 2023 Ask any user of the U.S. immigration system and they will tell you that there are not many things more frustrating than trying to obtain case status or general information by way of a call to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (CIS) 1-800 Customer Service line. The challenging user experience is made even worse when you seek to arrange an in-person appointment at a local US CIS Field Office - also known as INFOPASS appointment. This week, CIS announced implementation of a new policy to make life easier for U.S. permanent residents seeking proof [...]

8 03, 2023

Marriage Fraud & Conditional Green Cards:  If We Don’t Get You in the Wash, We’ll Get You in the Rinse    

By |2023-03-08T16:07:21-06:00March 8th, 2023|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage|

By: Richard Hanus, Esq. March 8, 2023 There are some moments in our lifetimes where we look back and vividly remember the exact sights and sounds, and no matter how far in the past or unsensational the moment.  One of my favorite unforgettable immigration lawyer moments, was a simple, non-confrontational interaction with a veteran immigration officer at the then Immigration and Naturalization Service’s (INS) Chicago Field Office.  It was the conclusion of a marriage-based adjustment of status interview of a foreign national and his U.S. citizen wife, and just after the officer announced she was going to approve the case and [...]

28 02, 2023

Green Card vs Citizenship: 5 Key Differences to Know About

By |2023-02-28T20:17:10-06:00February 28th, 2023|Categories: Green Cards|

Believe it or not, the U.S. accepts more immigrants than nearly any country in the world by a large margin. Every year, the U.S. grants over 140,000 new green cards every year, and welcomed over 800,000 new citizens after the pandemic backup in 2021! If you're considering moving to the United States, you have several options to choose from. Let's talk compare green card vs citizenship to see which route is best for your needs! What Is a Green Card? Holders of a green card, also known as permanent resident card, are permanent residents of the United States. They are neither [...]

20 02, 2023

The Return of a Simpler Visa Stamp Renewal Program for Foreign Workers

By |2023-02-20T08:31:40-06:00February 20th, 2023|Categories: Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq. Published – February 20, 2023 There used to be a time when a foreign national worker in the U.S. did not need to depart the country and appear at a U.S. consular post to renew their U.S. work visa stamp.   Instead, that worker could send their foreign passport containing their expired work visa to a domestic U.S. Department of State office and within a period of weeks, the worker would receive back their passport with a renewed visa stamp.  The U.S. Department of State recently announced a plan to reinstitute this program in the very near future. [...]

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