A conviction for a drug offense can have outsized legal consequences when it comes to obtaining employment, licensing, access to benefits and finding housing. Outside of the law it can have serious consequences In some cases minor marijuana offenses could result in eviction or the loss of employment or parental rights. These consequences can effect … Read more
USCIS Policy Alert, PA-2023-33, dated December 12, 2023https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20231212-Family-BasedCPRs.pdf U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding family-based conditional permanent residents. The update clarifies what noncitizens must do to change the basis of filing in cases of waivers based on battery or extreme cruelty. It also clarifies that if … Read more
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) eliminated key defenses against deportation and subjected many more immigrants, including legal permanent residents, to detention and deportation. It made it much more difficult for refugees to apply for asylum.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that affirmative asylum applicants must bring an interpreter to their asylum interview if they are not fluent in English or wish to proceed with their interview in a language other than English, starting September 13, 2023. Sign language interpreters are the only exception to this requirement. USCIS continues to … Read more
UNLAWFUL PRESENCE AND THE THREE/TEN-YEAR-BAR Under the unlawful presence grounds of inadmissibility, the three- and ten-year bars at INA § 212(a)(9)(B) penalize people who are present in the US. without any lawful immigration status for more than 6 months and 12 months respectively. This could be overstaying a visa by failing to depart the US. … Read more
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) eliminated key defenses against deportation and subjected many more immigrants, including legal permanent residents, to detention and deportation. It made it much more difficult for refugees to apply for asylum.