USCIS
Will the Trump Administration Begin Family Separations Again?
The horrifying and tragic legacy of the Trump administration’s family separation policy—which allegedly ended by executive order in June this summer—is far from over. Even with many children still waiting to be reunited with their parents, the administration is considering resuming family separations once again. Nearly 250 migrant children… Read More
USCIS Begins Implementing Plan to Issue More Deportation Notices
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance to its officers in June instructing them to initiate deportation proceedings for certain applicants who were denied immigration benefits. At the same time, the agency put the guidance on hold and solicited comments from the public. On Monday, the guidance went… Read More
This Citizenship Day Marred by Government’s Focus on Stripping People of Their Citizenship
Each year on September 17, America marks Citizenship Day, an annual opportunity to reflect on the benefits and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. In years past, it was used as a day to celebrate new Americans and encourage others who are eligible to become U.S. citizens. However, this year is different,… Read More
Government Emails Show Trump Was Determined to Terminate TPS Despite the Facts
Over the past year, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for six countries, putting more than 300,000 mostly long-residing immigrants at risk of deportation. Newly released documents reveal that U.S. government officials determined to terminate TPS ignored evidence produced by their own agencies in a rush… Read More
USCIS’ Wait Times for Citizenship Have Doubled
The average wait time on a U.S. citizenship application was about five months in 2014. Today, the average time a green card holder will wait for their citizenship application to be processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is 10 months. With the increased wait… Read More
Students and Exchange Visitors at Risk of Being Barred from U.S. Under New USCIS Policy
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a revised, final policy memorandum on August 9, 2018 that radically changes how the agency will determine when a foreign student or exchange visitor is “unlawfully present” in the United States. “Unlawful presence” is a legal term used to describe any time spent in the United States after a foreign national’s period of authorized stay has ended. Read More
How Long Does It Take USCIS to Issue a Green Card?
How long does it take to process an application for permanent residence in the United States, or a “green card?” You might be surprised by how difficult it is to find a reliable answer to this common question. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—the agency that adjudicates applications for permanent… Read More
USCIS Is Redefining Who Qualifies For Asylum in This New Guidance
In its latest attack on asylum seekers, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance to asylum officers that will make it much harder for victims of domestic violence and gang violence to obtain asylum. The guidance follows a strongly worded opinion known as “Matter of AB” issued by… Read More
Trump Administration Misses the First Deadline to Reunite Children With Parents
After being order last month by a federal judge to reunite the thousands of children it had separated from their parents under the “zero tolerance” policy, the Trump administration said it would not meet the first court-mandated deadline to reunite all children under the age of five. This admission coincided… Read More
USCIS Is Slowly Being Morphed Into an Immigration Enforcement Agency
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance to initiate deportation proceedings for thousands of applicants denied for any immigration benefit. This policy change will have far-reaching implications for many of those interacting with the agency, but also signals a major shift in how USCIS operates. USCIS was never… Read More
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