Citizenship
Naturalization Following the Passing of your U.S. citizen spouse
In the face of a terrible tragedy, foreign national spouses can face even more hardship after their U.S. citizen husband or wife passes. Typically, foreign nationals who are green card holders through their U.S. citizen (USC) spouse have the opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenship following a period of three years in the U.S. Unfortunately,…
Read MoreMajor USCIS Changes: Update on RFE & NOID
On September 11, 2018, the United States Customs and Immigration Service will adopt new guidelines for the issuance of Request for Evidence (RFE) and Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID). Through no change to the laws of legal immigration, these new guidelines present one of the greatest threats to legal immigration in recent history. Overview of…
Read MoreDenaturalization in the Face of Criminal Charges
As previously reported, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) started a collaborative effort to find cases of fraud or misrepresentation in applications for naturalization. Already, this joint effort succeeded in denaturalizing several citizens who misrepresented themselves on their applications. Recently, naturalized citizens, who did not misrepresent themselves on their…
Read MoreChange of Address for Non-Citizens & Citizens
In most cases, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) requires only non-U.S. citizens to report a change of address. However, if you are a U.S. citizen serving as a sponsor for a non-U.S. citizen, you may have to submit a Form I-865 to update your most recent address. Non-U.S. Citizens If you are…
Read MoreWhat is a Notice to Appear? (NTA): New Memos Hit Legal Immigration
In the last couple of weeks, the buzz surrounding recent memos released from the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) have left many on edge. In such a short period of time, USCIS has made historic levels of change to immigration law. Now, with talk of NTAs, RFEs, and NOIDs those affected by recent…
Read MoreUnpacking the USCIS Memorandum: NOID & RFE (Part 2 of 2)
In the past few weeks, two memorandum out of the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) have upturned years of immigration procedures. In the first memo, USCIS announced a new direction to encourage USCIS officers to freely issue notices to appear (NTA), notably for cases in which a visa application is denied. In a separate…
Read MoreUSCIS Can Now Deny at Will: NOID & RFE (Part I of 2)
For many years, USCIS adjudicators have provided applicants & petitioners with the benefit of the doubt. As such, applications, petitions, and requests were not outright denied if a USCIS officer noticed an absence of evidence or if evidence was insufficient for eligibility. For years, USCIS officers instead issued requests for evidence notices (RFE) or a…
Read MoreAdvance Parole for Canadian Citizens
Advance Parole for Canadian Citizens is an important topic for those who wish to travel internationally while their U.S. immigration application is pending. Leaving the United States, even for a brief period of time, can be extremely complicated for foreign nationals. This risk increases if an individual wishes to leave the United States while an…
Read MoreThreats to Non-Immigrant Workers: USCIS Gains Deportation Referral Power
Recently, the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) released a policy memo endowing every adjudicating officer, and all USCIS employees, the power to issue a notice to appear, or NTA. With this policy change, USCIS employees may now initiate the removal and deportation of an individual that does not maintain lawful presence. Background Although…
Read MoreThe Trump Administration Threatens Citizenship
According to the Washington Post, the Trump Administration aims to threaten naturalized citizens through the use of decades old fingerprint analysis. Denaturalization, or revoking citizenship, is extremely rare and occurs only in extreme cases of fraud or criminal activity. Now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS)…
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