San Diego’s immigration community has been rattled by new reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is arresting individuals with no criminal history during routine green card interviews at USCIS offices—a practice that is historically unprecedented and deeply alarming. What’s Happening Starting in early November, immigration attorneys began reporting that…
Articles Posted in I-485
USCIS Updates Policy: Officers to Consider Evidence of Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism in Immigrant Benefit Requests
On Tuesday, August 19th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated policy guidance clarifying that immigration officers will assess a range of factors when determining whether to grant a favorable exercise of discretion in the green card process—signaling a tougher stance that may create additional hurdles for applicants seeking…
New USCIS Policy Seeks to Intimidate Immigrants Applying for Green Cards by Threatening Deportation Proceedings
On August 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new policies that could make immigrants applying for green cards through family-based petitions more vulnerable to deportation. The changes appear in various updates to USCIS’ Policy Manual which states that immigration officials can begin removal proceedings for immigrants who…
August Visa Bulletin: EB-2 Final Action Retrogressions, EB-5 China and India Advancement, Little to No Movement in Other Categories
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the August 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
July Visa Bulletin: Major Movement for Family Sponsored Categories, and EB-3 Final Action Dates
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the July 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
BREAKING: Federal Judge Lifts Administrative Pause on Immigration Applications for Parolees of Uniting for Ukraine, Military Parole in Place, CHNV, Family Reunification Parole Programs
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, a federal judge from the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a nationwide court order lifting the Trump administration’s suspension of adjudications for immigration benefit applications submitted by noncitizens who were lawfully paroled into the United States under certain categorical parole…
June Visa Bulletin: Major Movement for EB-2 NIW Employment-Based Category and Modest Movement for Some Family-Sponsored Categories
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the June 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
May Visa Bulletin: Minimal Movement for Employment-Based Categories and Modest Movement for Some Family-Sponsored Categories
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the May 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
The April Visa Bulletin Brings Modest Advancements Across All Categories
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the April 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
USCIS Issues Policy Memo Enforcing Removal Proceedings for Denied Petitions
Last week the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new policy memorandum that requires the agency to initiate removal proceedings after it denies an application for an immigration benefit, if the foreign national is no longer lawfully present in the United States. Importantly, the memo exempts certain…