The Supreme Court Preserves Birthright Citizenship: What Trump v. Barbara Means for Immigrant Families
Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a two-part series examining the major immigration decisions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court during its recently completed term. In our companion article, we’ll look at the other significant immigration decisions from this term and explain what they may mean for immigrant families and those planning to…
The Little Things That Often Become Big Immigration Problems
One of the reasons I enjoy practicing immigration law is that no two cases are exactly alike. Even when two clients appear to have very similar situations, the details are almost always different. After working in this field for over 30 years, having had the benefit of working with thousands of immigrants, and after reading…
New Public Charge Guidance: How the State Department’s Expanded Health and Financial Review May Affect Visa Applicants
Recent reporting confirms that the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued new internal guidance—via a cable distributed to consular posts worldwide—significantly expanding how consular officers evaluate visa applicants under the public charge ground of inadmissibility (INA §212(a)(4)). Although the statute itself has not changed, this directive reshapes the analysis by placing far heavier weight…
USCIS Interviews: Why Proper Identification and Documentation Matter
In my last round of USCIS Interviews that I attended with clients, there were a few issues that came up during the course of the Interviews that I wanted to cover in a blog post. In short, these issues were all related to individuals who were not able to produce the identification and documentation that…
Citizenship Series Part 4: Deriving Citizenship with One Naturalized Parent
Derivative Citizenship is possible for those who only have one Naturalized Parent, but this is reserved for those in special circumstances. There are only three (3) situations in which having one Naturalized Parent may qualify you for Derivative Citizenship: In this Part of the series we will be discussing situation 1. Naturalization of a Surviving…
US Immigration Now Checking Social Media for Antisemitic Content
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that starting in April 2025, U.S. immigration officials will begin reviewing the social media accounts of certain applicants for U.S. immigration benefits. The stated goal of USCIS is to screen for antisemitic content or links to “terrorist” groups. What’s Changing?The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services…
USCIS Requires I-693 Medical Exam Form to Be Submitted with Green Card Applications
USCIS has announced that it now requires some applicants applying for adjustment of status (Form I-485) to also file a completed Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) with their application for adjustment of status. If you do not include a completed I-693 with your I-485, then USCIS may reject your entire…
USCIS Announces that Applicants for Adjustment of Status no longer need to prove that they have received the COVID-19 Vaccination
On January 22, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service announced a new policy that it will waive the requirement that applicants for adjustment of status (Form I-485) present proof that they have received the COVID-19 vaccination on their I-693 Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. USCIS further confirmed that from and…
USCIS Shares Best Practices for Filing Forms by Mail
On August 24, 2024, USCIS released a list of its best practices and top tips for filing forms by mail. These tips are divided into three separate sections: (1) Complete Your Form Accurately; (2) Assemble Your Application, Petition, or Request; and (3) Mail Your Application, Petition, or Request. Here is a brief summary of these…
Did You Know USCIS Will Now Automatically Extend Your Green Card When You Apply for Citizenship?
If you are applying for U.S. citizenship but your green card has expired or is about to expire, you might worry about your status while you are waiting for USCIS to process your application. However, USCIS has a new policy to help with this. Now, when you file your citizenship application (Form N-400), USCIS will…
