ON January 9, 2020, the USCIS finalized the implementation of a significant change to the processing of H-1B visa petitions this year. Consequently, there will not be a short filing window at the beginning of April 2020, so there is no deadline in April 2020. Rather, the USCIS is implementing a registration requirement that will…
THE USCIS issued another Policy Memorandum on May 10, 2018, that imposes significant restrictions to F and M students, as well as J exchange visitors, who violate their status. The new policy will impose additional hurdles for legalizing the immigration status for those who violate their F, M, or J nonimmigrant status. The new policy…
THERE are opportunities in the immigration laws for an individual to automatically become a United States citizen. As U.S. citizenship bestows tremendous benefits, it is important for individuals to know when U.S. citizenship can automatically be derived and what to obtain to properly document a person’s U.S. citizenship. This is especially true for an individual…
THE Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that one of their greatest priorities is to arrest and deport individuals with criminal convictions. Since the start of the Trump administration, the rate of arrests to seek the removal of individuals with criminal violations has risen significantly. With this heightened possibility of deportation, it is important for…
ON July 29, 2016, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the expansion of the provisional waiver program. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 more individuals will be eligible to apply for a provisional waiver under the expanded program. The provisional waiver program streamlines the waiver application process so that the separation of family members is…
“ It is with great honor that such a program is finally being implemented so that Filipino WWII Veterans can finally be together with their loved ones once again.” ON May 9, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally announced that it will be begin the much deserved “Filipino World War II Veterans Parole”…
COMING to the United States as a K-1 Fiancée is an exciting and joyous occasion. After typically waiting many months to be together, couples are finally reunited and ready to embark on a new life together. Most couples bask in the glow of their new marriage and smoothly navigate through the immigration process of obtaining…
THE E nonimmigrant visa category allows nationals of countries who are a party to certain treaties with the United States to receive visa benefits in order to invest in a US business or conduct trade between the foreign treaty country and the US. The Philippines entered into such a treaty with the US as of…
THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will once again begin accepting petitions for H-1B working visas on April 1, 2016. Petitions may be submitted for employment to commence on or after October 1, 2016. It is imperative that interested applicants have their petition submitted to the USCIS between April 1-7, 2016, or it…
FOR individuals who are seeking to obtain lawful permanent residency, any past fraud or misrepresentation renders the individual inadmissible and ineligible to legalize status unless they are granted a fraud waiver. This includes all individuals who have committed fraud, even those who are married to a United States citizen. Immigration fraud occurs when an individual…
When a serious crime has been committed, justice can only be served when the perpetrator of the crime is successfully prosecuted and jailed. Unfortunately, justice is often not served when the victim of the crime is an undocumented immigrant. This has been the case as many fear that may suffer because of their unlawful immigration…
ON October 2, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally announced the upcoming implementation of a parole program that will help reunite certain family members of Filipino WWII Veterans. Given the great sacrifices that Filipino WWII Veterans have endured, the program is significant in assisting them and their families deal with the hardships that…
A TREMENDOUSLY beneficial change to the Visa Bulletin was announced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and Department of State (DOS) on Sept. 9, 2015. The change assists those needing a work permit and advance parole travel document by allowing individuals to file these applications earlier than before. The changes to the…
