By now you may have heard that on the morning of June 26, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in a landmark 5-4 decision (Obergefell v Hodges) that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage, a right that cannot be denied by the laws of any state.…
The Department of State has issued an alert announcing that as of June 26, 2015 all visa issuing US embassies and consulates are now able to continue visa processing. Staff at US consulates and embassies were able to work over the weekend and resolve backlogs which are expected to be…
What are the most challenging questions for couples at a STOKES/Fraud Interview? By Attorney Marie Puertollano, Esq. What happens when a US Citizen Spouse and the intending immigrant spouse fail an interview pending an application for permanent residence? Normally couples who have failed to provide sufficient documentation to an immigration…
Presently, attorneys Jacob Sapochnick, Esq., Ekaterina Powell, Esq., and Yingfei Zhou, Esq. from our office are in attendance at the 2015 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Conference on Immigration Law taking place in Washington, DC. Together, they have had the privilege of being present for an open forum where officials…
You have Questions, We have your Answers. Here are answers to 5 of your Frequently Asked Questions In this blog we are answering 5 of your frequently asked questions in detail. Please remember that every case and every story is different and unique. You should not compare your situation to…
On November 20, 2014 President Barack Obama announced a series of executive actions on immigration designed to repair our country’s broken immigration system. Among its provisions, the executive actions on immigration outline plans to: strengthen border security, expand I-601A provisional waiver eligibility, modernize visa backlogs, expand eligibility for parole in…
After more than 10 years of practicing immigration law the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick is excited to announce the release of attorney Jacob Sapochnick’s new e-book called ‘My American Job’ now available on Amazon for purchase. An immigrant himself, attorney Jacob Sapochnick first came to the United States…
By Ekaterina Powell, Esq. For many years, it has been unsettled in the law and practice whether a change in H-1B employee’s job location is considered to be a “material change” in the terms of employment, requiring filing of an H-1B amendment petition. Prior Guidance According to USCIS unofficial guidance…
On Monday May 4, 2015 a federal appeals court heard arguments in the case Joseph Arpaio v. Barack Obama, et al, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 14-5325. Back in November of 2014 in the wake of Obama’s executive actions, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio…
Today, May 4, 2015 USCIS announced that data entry for all H-1B cap-subject petitions has been completed for the 2016 fiscal year. USCIS is scheduled to begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in the computer-generated random lottery held early last month. Since USCIS received an unprecedented…