Ask Garry
DACA in Jeopardy Again
After 9 years of having the DACA program in place, a federal judge has chosen now as the right time to determine that when it was put in place 2 presidents ago, the rules were not properly followed in starting the program. Frankly, it’s inexplicable. If this were an issue, it should have come up…
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Significant Policy Shift for F-1 Change of Status Applications with USCIS
Recently, USCIS announced a major change in policy related to applications to change status from any other immigration status to F-1 student status. Change of status is a technical process managed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency of the Department of Homeland Security in which a person who came into the US on…
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Deportation News: Administrative Closure Restored
The US Attorney General has issued a decision restoring Administrative Closure as a tool for Immigration Judges to use in removal proceedings to effectively manage their dockets. With this decision, along with the recent memorandum restoring prosecutorial discretion to the ICE Office of the Chief Counsel, the deportation authorities again have the power to control…
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Hope for Victims of Crime Seeking Asylum in the US
Domestic violence and gang violence are rampant throughout the world, particularly in Central America. Governments there either don’t care, are too corrupt, or are incapable of addressing these serious issues. Women and children in particular are targets for physical and sexual abuse and marginalization and have nowhere to turn for protection from maltreatment. Often they…
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Supreme Court Decision on TPS and Admission for Green Card Application Purposes
The US Supreme Court recently issued a decision on the matter of Adjustment of Status eligibility for people who have Temporary Protected Status. Here is the link if for those of you who would like to read it: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-315_q713.pdf In Sanchez v. Mayorkas, the Supreme Court held that a person who has been granted Temporary…
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Temporary Protected Status – Protection from Humanitarian Crisis
When a country is facing challenges, such as armed conflict or a natural disaster, the United States may designate that country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The designation is made for the benefit of citizens of those nations when those citizens cannot return safely, or the countries cannot handle the return of their citizens. It’s…
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President Biden and Amnesty
There has been a lot of talk about the Biden Administration providing amnesty benefits to people living in the U.S. illegally. This rumor has motivated me to write an article on the subject of amnesty and how the U.S. government system works to check the powers of the various branches of the federal government. What…
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USCIS Application Fees Increase October 2, 2020
USCIS has announced a significant fee increase for most applications. The new fees are set to go into effect on October 2, 2020. Here is the chart of the adjustments on filing fees of various processes. Immigration Benefit Request Current Fee Final Fee Change ($) Percentage Change I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (online…
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Ask Garry: USA Political Asylum Issues – One Year Filing Deadline and Work Authorization
Many people come to the United States for the purpose of seeking protection from persecution in their countries of nationality. To pursue that protection, a person must file an I-589 Application for Political Asylum. For an application to be arguable, the applicant must be able to prove that they are at risk of being persecuted…
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Ask Garry: DACA vs Trump | What’s the Future of DACA under the Trump Administration?
Let me start by saying President Trump does not like DACA. Does that comment shock anyone? If it does, then you haven’t been paying attention. The courts have tried to check the President and give it back. The President continues fighting against it. In this article, I will review the recent events on DACA between…
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