A BUSINESS visa attorney can let you know all types of visas that you might be able to apply for under U.S. immigration law. Depending on your situation, the type of visa will differ. For example, a business visa attorney might tell you about the H-1B, which is people who have college degrees. The business…
Recent executive orders signed by President Trump, have sparked widespread discussion within the immigrant community. U.S. immigration laws and policy are centerstage. Much of what is being discussed within the immigrant community, although well intentioned, can often be misguided and misleading. In this current situation, having an immigration expert educate you so you can make…
A PROVISIONAL waiver can benefit certain people who are not eligible to adjust status in the U.S. These people include: • Crewmen without the benefit of section 245(i), which was a law that expired on April 30, 2001, allowing crewmen and others to still adjust status in the US if they were petitioned before that…
QUESTION: I’m so afraid to open my door now. I’ve heard ICE agents are doing round-ups and just deporting people left and rights. What can I do? Answer: All people living in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, have certain U.S. Constitutional rights. If you are undocumented and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents knock…
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date…
“ In the United States, the law gives rights to foreign nationals. Some of these rights include due process and appeals. This is why you can fight your case and this is why ICE cannot simply throw you outside of the U.S.” QUESTION: I committed a crime and have my green card. With Trump, I…
Immigration policy and enforcement continues to evolve undergoing a large shift and uncertainty abounds. Undocumented immigrants fear ICE knocking at their door and those with lawful immigration status, but who are not yet U.S. citizens, are also uncertain. Concern is understandable, and in times like this it is of the utmost importance that you have…
WHAT is happening? On January 27, 2017, the President signed the Executive Order entitled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States” (Executive Order 13769) This Executive Order issued a 90-day travel ban on immigrants and non-immigrants from designated countries, a 120-day ban on U.S. refugee program, and an indefinite suspension of…
Executive Order 13768 ON January 25, 2017, President Trump issued one of his controversial executive actions on immigration, Executive Order 13768 entitled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” which effectively places any undocumented individual in the United States at risk of deportation. The executive action directs the Department of Homeland Security…
QUESTION: I have heard that with Trump’s executive order and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo and with further items to be processed, people are being thrown out of the country left and right. I am very afraid. What can I do? Answer: First of all, it is true that Trump is creating fear…
WITH the election of Donald Trump as president, and his pledge to fulfill his campaign promise of enforcing immigration laws (with news reports of immigration raids throughout the country), many people are anxious and\or terrified about their future in the US. Many of my clients have been calling asking whether they have to open the…
QUESTION: What is a ‘revocable’ Living Trust? Answer: A ‘revocable living trust’ for a single person (including a typical “survivor’s trust” that is revocable by the surviving settlor as described in) will provide for distributions to the settlor during the settlor’s lifetime. When a single settlor holds the revocation power and is also entitled to…
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date…
QUESTION: What has happened with this Muslim ban per the executive order? Answer: Just a few days ago, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled that it was unconstitutional and would cause irreparable injury and ordered a nationwide injunction on the execution of the the ban. In essence, this Judge gutted the executive order and all…
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have taken into custody a 23-year-old man brought to the US as a young child, but had applied for, and was GRANTED, Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA), with his work permit valid until 2018! This was one of the first times a DACA applicant has been taken into…
SINCE becoming president, Donald Trump has issued over 20 executive orders (EO) on a wide variety of topics and issues, including immigration. So far, there has not yet been an Executive Order concerning the future of Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA). However, there have been several draft or leaked memos, which eventually became executive…
IN the first two weeks of the Trump Administration and with a quick stroke of a pen, the country was swept up in a whirlpool of Executive Orders the tangled mangled web of which we are still trying to make sense. What is happening? What does it mean for me and my family? What’s going…
Since its issuance on Jan. 27, 2017, the Executive Order on immigration (Trump’s E.O.) has been dissected because it is a “travel ban” of nationals from seven specific countries ( Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Somalia) whose majority populations are Muslims. While the previous administration and Congress have characterized them as war-torn and…
SINCE President Trump’s inauguration last January 20, 2017, the President has issued three (3) executive actions on immigration, namely, (1) Executive Order 13769, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” issued on January 27, 2017; (2) Executive Order 13768 ,“Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” issued on…
QUESTION: I have been put into deportation proceedings. Do I really need an Immigration Attorney? Answer: Hiring an Immigration Attorney is critical to the successful outcome of your case. Immigration Law is changing all the time, especially with the new President Trump. What used to be the law is no longer the law. What once…
PRESIDENT Trump appears to be executing on his “America First” agenda by executing executive orders in record pace with the intent of securing American interest. However, these executive orders has affected certain rights of legal permanent residents and aliens residing in the United States. As a green card holder, you are still considered an Alien…
ON January 27, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) on “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” Among the EO’s more controversial provisions are: • a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country; • an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria; and • a 90-day bar on citizens…
QUESTION: I have just received my Green Card. It took years of waiting and I’m so happy. I have heard about getting a Living Trust, but I really don’t see the point. I have my Green Card and all is well. What do you think? Answer: Actually, this could not be further from the truth….
On January 25, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order on “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” In that executive order, he lists those people who would now be considered “enforcement priorities,” and would be put on the top of the list for deportation/removal. It is truly a scary and chilling…
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I entered the US in 2005 under a different name on my passport and visitor’s visa. I recently married a US citizen, who petitioned me. This was the first time that any petition had ever been filed for either my family or me. When I filed for adjustment of status (Form…
WITH the incoming Trump presidency, there is a lot of fear and a lot of questions and uncertainties on what happens to immigration policies and enforcement when he takes office in January 2017. Mr. Trump’s campaign promises include banning Muslims; building a wall along the US-Mexico border; and immediately detaining and deporting all the…
DIVORCING couples with children sometimes worry about who is going to pay for their children’s college education after the divorce once their children graduates high school. They want a guarantee that their soon to be ex-spouse will share in the college expenses of their children. This is specially the case when the other spouse has…
QUESTION: I don’t know what to do. Trump will become president and I’m afraid he will deport everyone who is not here legally? What can I do? Answer: First of all, while the president certainly has a lot of power, he cannot simply order that 11 million people be deported. In fact, there are many…
MARIO, was admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) when he was 18 years old. Now he wants to apply for citizenship, but the application is asking about something called “selective service.” He doesn’t know what this is. Will this bar him from his application to become a U.S….
IF a person is ever caught in a fi xed marriage (married solely to obtain immigration benefits), the consequences (or punishment) could be severe. A fixed marriage finding by the USCIS could result in a lifetime ban from ever having any other petition approved. For example, if a person was caught in a fixed marriage,…
