EAH Immigration Blog

As noted above, President Trump’s EO “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” effectively ended the priority system put in place by President Obama, which classified targets for removal based upon the seriousness of their crimes. Under the old system, by using prosecutorial discretion, foreign nationals who had...

In this new period of extreme heightened security, travelers entering the United States can expect increased scrutiny by immigration inspectors.  Even before the new EOs heightened scrutiny at the borders, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers had begun asking ESTA travelers for social media account information upon entry — the theory...

When the travel ban was signed, foreign nationals were not the only ones placed in a precarious position. Employers who have foreign nationals affected by the ban were affected as well. When faced with these realities, efforts to continue “business as usual” by reassigning work or passing over an otherwise qualified...

There are three additional Executive Orders that were drafted and leaked in late January that could be signed by the President. These govern the DACA program, public benefits by foreign nationals, and nonimmigrant visas, with specific focus on H-1Bs. As of this writing, no new information has been issued or leaked...

Two other, significant Executive Orders were signed by Trump in January, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” and “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements.” These EOs aim specifically to curb and solve unlawful immigration through aggressive detention and deportation of undocumented foreign nationals and by building “the...

Five days into office, President Trump signed several Executive Orders (EO) on immigration, including the travel ban, that wreaked havoc on U.S. immigration laws and procedures and caused chaos, panic, and fear within our immigration community. Below is a summary of what has happened, where we are, and what we can...

As most already know, on January 27 President Trump issued an Executive Order, “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals,” that temporarily halted all entries for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The Refugee Admissions Program also was suspended. The EO went into effect immediately...

The following additional items may be of interest to our readers: Congress Reaches Deal on Continuing Resolution, Containing Extension of Four Popular Immigration Programs: On December 9, 2016 Congress voted to extend the EB-5 Regional Center, Conrad 30 waiver, the Special Immigrant Religious Workers classification (EB-4), and E-Verify programs in a...

DHS has established and has now implemented the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) for certain Chinese nationals. For now, the EVUS program only applies to unrestricted, maximum validity B visas, often issued for 10 years, contained in a passport issued by the People’s Republic of China. The program collects biographical information...

The Department of Sate (DOS) issued a final rule, effective 12/7/2016, that amends the definition of ‘‘immediate family” for purposes of G, A, C-3, and NATO visa classifications. The rule narrows the definition of immediate relative with respect to sons and daughters: generally only unmarried sons and daughters residing with the...

It is possible to obtain a green card through the sponsorship of a company owned or managed by a close relative. However, it is well known that these cases frequently get audited by the Department of Labor, and some are denied if the family relationship could obstruct an honest recruiting effort....

The immigration bar has received several reports about foreign nationals who have been exposed to unprofessional, intimidating, and demeaning conduct by CBP officers during the inspection and admissions process. If you have been subject to disparaging, intimidating, or unprofessional remarks during the inspection process by a CBP officer, you can either...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made final a long-awaited rule on issues that impact mostly H-1B professional workers and employment-based visa applicants and their dependents. The rule is intended to clarify and codify issues related to the retention of EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 immigrant workers and make improvements affecting high-skilled...

The detention of massive numbers of immigrants is gaining an increasing amount of attention as immigrant advocacy groups continue to push for change, often filing lawsuits to challenge government practices. Some recent cases involve bond procedures and ICE detainers. ICE detainers recently came under fire in a class action lawsuit filed...

With the inauguration of President-elect Trump less than four weeks away, attention is centering on how the president-elect and his team will handle his immigration campaign promises, especially because immigration served as one of the campaign’s key cornerstones. But, not everything a presidential candidate says during an election campaign predicts how...

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Immigration filing fees increased – by a weighted average of 21 percent for most immigration applications and petitions – on December 23, 2016. Make sure your case is filed with the correct fee. For a full list of fees, see this list on the USCIS...