EAH Immigration Blog

A district court judge recently issued an important decision regarding the one-year filing deadline for asylum applications. By law, an asylum seeker who is present in the United States may apply for asylum but must do so within one year of arrival. The proper place to file (or lodge) the...

As the Trump Administration continues to take a hardline stance toward China in the sphere of free trade and open markets, the Department of State is considering limiting the issuance of F-1 visas to Chinese nationals. A June 11, 2018 proposal is a direct response to China’s alleged intellectual property...

While significant attention is given to the U.S.-Mexico border, our northern border with Canada still merits attention and security. DHS recently released its Northern Border Strategy to secure the 5,525-mile border, the longest land boundary between two countries in the world. The terrain on the border varies widely according to...

USCIS announced that EB-5 investors filing I-829 applications and marriage-based petitioners who file I-751 applications to remove the conditions on their green cards will be able to use the receipt notice as evidence of continued status for 18 months past the expiration date on their conditional green card. This increased...

Courtney has represented clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Colorado Court of Appeals, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Her immigration practice includes family, business, asylum, and removal defense. Courtney Butler is a graduate of the...

The processing times listed on the USCIS website now show a range of expected completion dates as opposed to a concrete date. For example, change-of-status applications filed at the Vermont Service Center for the H-4 category show processing times of 9.5 to 13.5 months. This “cycle time” indicates that 50%...

In a new “broadcast message,” SEVIS Response Center advises that foreign students engaging in volunteer work that is unrelated to their course of study does not qualify as optional practical training (OPT) and should not be listed as OPT employment. Reporting nonqualifying volunteer work as OPT employment could be considered...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is required to present an annual report of the number of foreign nationals who are admitted but overstay. Overstays are defined as (1) individuals for whom no departure has been recorded and are likely still in the U.S., and (2) individuals who have a...

Changes and enhancements to immigration enforcement measures continue to develop at a
breathtakingly rapid pace. Currently front and center is the Administration’s separation of family
members on the southern border, which has finally pushed the border wall from the spotlight.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “zero-tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings resulted in
directing his attorneys to pursue criminal prosecutions for any individual caught crossing illegally,
sparked a national uproar. The President was forced to issue a new Executive Order on June 20,
which continues to produce confusion, uncertainty, and widespread criticism, never mind
abhorrent conditions for those affected. The fate of some 2,300 children separated from their
parents after crossing the southern border remains uncertain and bogged down in tremendous
bureaucratic red tape, and 17 states have now sued the government over its family separation
policy. Simply stated, the situation is a mess.

The following additional items may be of interest to our readers: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua: Due to the current unrest in Nicaragua, the U.S. embassy in Managua has significantly reduced its hours, and DOS has suspended almost all visa processing. The embassy is prioritizing U.S. citizen services, immigrant visa cases...

Due process is an essential tenant of the rule of law. In the immigration context, there are certain standards that must be met to ensure a full and fair hearing for the immigrant. The immigration laws require that “Notices to Appear” (NTAs), which are essentially the immigration version of a...

On June 26, the Supreme Court issued its much anticipated decision, upholding President Trump’s September 24, 2017 Proclamation (“Travel Ban 3.0”), which currently excludes nationals from seven countries, stating that the proclamation was “squarely within the scope of Presidential authority under the INA.” ( Trump v. Hawaii , 6/26/18). The...

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution requires a census be taken every decade to ensure proper apportionment in the House of Representatives. The U.S. Census Bureau, overseen by the Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration, implements the census. Aside from just population, the census collects valuable...

Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia, nestled between Bangladesh and Thailand. Its 54 million citizens are ethnically diverse but overwhelmingly Buddhist, though the country has small groups of Christians and Muslims. Since receiving independence in 1948, the country has been defined by its ongoing...

The State Department will likely require nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applicants to provide more detailed histories including social media platforms. In a notice of rulemaking governing electronic Forms DS-260 and DS-160, DOS detailed its intention to require visa applicants to provide identifiers for specified social media platforms during the preceding...

In a recent cable to consular officers, the Department of State reviewed and amended its guidance regarding minimum wage requirements and presumption of ineligibility for visa issuance for A-3, C-3, and G-5 attendants, servants, and personal employees. Most significantly, DOS directs that consular officers must presume that an applicant is...

On April 6, 2018, President Trump published a memorandum directing the secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, and Health and Human Services to update him regarding the steps being taken to end “catch and release” practices.  Catch and release is an unofficial name of a protocol that has been followed...

ICE has changed its policies regarding the handling of pregnant women in detention, breaking from the previous practice of automatically releasing them. Under a new directive, immigration officers will no longer default to trying to release pregnant women in ICE custody. Instead, the policy requires a case-by-case evaluation, and ICE...

USCIS To Destroy Undeliverable Green Cards and EADs After 60 Days: USCIS announced that it is now destroying permanent resident cards, employment authorization cards, and travel documents returned as undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service after 60 business days if USCIS is not contacted with the correct address. Word to...

The H-4 visa is available for the spouses of those for nationals who have received an H-1B visa. However, unlike many other visa categories for spouses, there are conditions on H-4 visa holders who can apply for and receive work authorization. H-4 visa holders can receive an EAD work if...