As we reported before, if you are a Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), and your spouse is currently legal in the United States, as of August 1, 2013 you could file for Adjustment of Status (I-485 Benefits). That will include an application for a Green Card, Work Authorization, as well…
Visa Lawyer Blog
Judge Rules Immigration Detainees Entitled To Automatic Bond Hearing
A federal judge has ruled that Immigration detainees in Southern California are entitled to bond hearings after remaining in custody for over six months. A preliminary injunction granting the bond hearings that had been in place for the past year are now going to be automatically granted. Senior U.S. District…
F1 Visas: I-120 may be issued to Same Sex couples New Guidance
Guidance following the Courts Decisions on Same Se Marriage continue to be released. The latest is regarding Student Visas. The Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs has advised consulates that their officials may issue derivative visas based on same – sex marriage if the marriage is “recognized in the…
Changes to the Form I-94: What you need to know
There have been recent changes to the way USCIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issue the Form I-94, the document that is used to show your valid stay in the U.S. CBP has fully implemented its program to automate Form I-94 at all air and sea ports pursuant…
Major G.O.P. donors and lobbyists urge Members of Congress to back Immigration Reform
More than 100 Republican donors — many of them prominent names in their party’s establishment — sent a letter to Republican members of Congress on Tuesday urging them to support an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws. The letter, which calls for “legal status” for the 11 million immigrants here…
Changes in Eligibility for Immigration Based on Same-Sex Marriage: Naturalization Eligibility?
Many readers inquire about Naturalization benefits for same sex couples filing for Immigration under the new changes. In a recent FAQ released by USCIS the following question was discussed: Can same-sex marriages, like opposite-sex marriages, reduce the residence period required for naturalization? Yes. As a general matter, naturalization requires five…
House Considers Citizenship for DREAMers
In the Republican-led House, the question is which of the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants can eventually qualify for U.S. citizenship. Last month, the Senate voted 68-32 to allow most of the nation’s undocumented immigrants to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. But as the House continues to slowly consider small…
Speaker of the House John Boehner is Optimistic about Immigration Bill
As the immigration debate dragged on in the House of Representatives, Speaker John A. Boehner offered perhaps his most optimistic assessment yet when asked how member education efforts were going in the House for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws. Mr. Boehner told reporters on Thursday. “I think it’s…
Green Card Lottery Diversity Visa 2013 Winners: Same Sex Marriage Green Cards and DOMA Impact
This is a very important update from AILA. The deadline for submitting an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (I- 485) for winners of the 2013 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is fast approaching; an adjustment of status application must be approved or immigrant vis a issued by September…
Will Israel join the Visa Waiver Program?
Wouldn’t it be nice to enter the US visa Free. I just left Israel a few days ago, most Israelis complain about the harsh requirement to get a simple visa to enter the US. Now the debate is on if Israel should join the Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver…