O Visas for Aliens of Extraordinary Ability
Harlan York immigration lawyer explains how O visas apply to immigrants with extra-ordinary abilities.
Immigration Law Blog
The Difference Between a Notario and a Notary is an Immigration Scam
(I was quoted in various media long ago on the topic. It’s good to see the federal governement getting involved.) The DoJ, DHS and FTC are now targeting immigration scams by “notarios.” Some folks who are notary publics will take advantage of the similarity in the words “notary” and “notario”…
Abandonment of Green Cards?
Harlan York immigration attorney addresses immigration laws for the abandonment of Green Cards.
New Bill would allow Immigrant parents, spouses & kids of active duty military to gain legal status
Sen. Robert Menendez introduced a bill that would allow the immigrant parents, spouses and children of active duty military service members to gain legal status, part of a push to allow small sectors of the undocumented population to avoid deportation. “I just can’t believe that you can risk your life…
Until Gay Marriage is Legal, Why Not?
The AG’s recent decision in Dornan shows the government’s interest in exploring how civil unions might allow a US citizen partner to petition for an immigrant partner. It would seem to me that an interim solution to the problem facing gay couples from two different nations who wish to reside lawfully in the…
Only 8000 H-1Bs filed in April 2011
A visa program designed to supply skilled foreign workers has slowed sharply, attracting about 50% fewer petitions so far this year than last year, and 80% fewer than in 2009. Several factors have contributed to the decline in H-1B visas, including more opportunities for skilled workers in their home nations…
“What do you charge?”
Sometimes when the phone rings, the first question that a potential client asks is our fees for a case. Now, I understand that people have a budget. But let’s be real for a second. If you are worried about staying in the US, it’s kind of a big deal. And…
Marriage-Based Green Cards Interviews in 2 Months in NJ
In 16 years I have never seen this type of turnaround. It’s not in all Newark cases but definitely some. Now, recall that Newark covers the vast majority of applications in NJ. There is only one other Immigration office in Jersey and that is a very small building comparatively. Three…
How Much Longer Will Immigration Debate be Viewed As Easily Dismissed Rather than an Opportunity to be Seized?
Last week, President Obama dashed out West to court donors. Protesters outside the $2500-a-plate dinner at Sony Pictures carried signs that read, “Stop Deporting Dreams.” Since Obama’s arrival at the White House, nearly 1 million illegals have been deported –- almost as many as in George W. Bush’s entire 2nd…
The Immigration Numbers Game, Year 2011.
According to a new study, a two-decade rise in undocumented immigration peaked in 2007, with an estimated 12 million people in the country illegally or overstaying a legal entry. That compares with 3.5 million in 1990. The nation saw the trend reverse in 2008 and 2009, dropping to just over…
Good Service
A friend was selling her house and located a neighborhood attorney. He quoted her a fee. She retained him. Once hired, he ignored her phone calls. So she called me. “I don’t understand,” my friend commented, “all I want is an answer to a few questions.” I replied that I…
Bust the fake immigration lawyers
We have been dealing with these hack notarios for years in NJ. The New Jersey Lawyer Newspaper interviewed me awhile back on this very topic. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas discussed the initiative with a group at the National Association of Attorney General conference in Washington. Mayorkas asked the attorney generals…
Billions and billions in tax revenue from paperless immigrants
MANY PEOPLE without green cards have been doing this for many years: paying their taxes. We have represented thousands of people who did so for a decade or more before getting lawful residence. The government issues ITINs much more easily than working papers: Illegal immigrants are pouring into tax-preparation offices…
Luckier Than Most Lawyers
We are very, very lucky. We love what we do. We love winning. We chose this work, many years ago. People need us. There’s no greater look than the one on the person’s face when he gets his permanent residence or she takes the oath of citizenship. It’s wonderful to…
Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez believes his visa situation is resolved.
“Everything is set,” Edinson Volquez said. “They’re just waiting for me to pick it up.” Volquez has not been allowed to pitch in games at which admission is charged because he entered the country on a travel visa rather than a work visa. The work visa was held up because…
More Green Cards Ordered this year
LaserCard Corporation announced receipt of an order for approximately $8.6 million for optical security media cards to be issued under the Department of Homeland Security’s US Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) program. Delivery is scheduled for completion in August, 2011. “The Green Card has set new standards in security and…
International Human Trafficking in the news, again
Note: The story below is about events in Canada; if a similar situation arises in the US, the victims are eligible for T visas. under Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Among the community of migrant farm workers in Kingsville, the van-load of Thai women stood out from the crowd. It was…
¿Qué Pasa, USA? The first bilingual sitcom celebrates 40 years
Steven Bauer may play tough guys in movies like Scarface, may have changed his name from Rocky Echevarría, married and fathered a son with Melanie Griffith, but before all of that he played in the sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, USA? The Cuban-American teenager, Joe, trapped in a culture clash with his…
Devil Wears Prada star Emily Blunt can’t leave America for immigration reasons
Actress Emily Blunt has saddled her sister with the task of packing up her London apartment before selling it – because she can’t leave America for immigration reasons. The Brit wed US actor John Krasinski last summer and is now in the process of applying for a green card, which…
Tom Ridge: We’re not sending 12 million people home so legalize them
Speaking at Georgetown to celebrate the 8th anniversary of the US Department of Homeland Security, former secretary Tom Ridge said he hopes “sometime in the future” the US government takes a serious look at immigration policy. “We’re not going to send them home, so let’s just figure out a way…
Immigration has a way of making nations irrational, if not suicidal.
The French have banned burqas in defiance of their liberal tradition. The Swiss have banned new minarets despite their reliance on Arab bank deposits. The Japanese have shut off most immigration though they grow demographically decrepit. Perhaps the most self-defeating act is taking place in the UK. Last summer, the…
Mere blocks away from our office and the Immigration building, on 3.19.11 at Prudential Center, Newark
An international event. How appropriate. What a show it will be. One is a former member of Croatia’s Parliament. His main forte is kickboxing. He once fought before 71,000 fans in Japan. Another gentleman is a native of Iran who wrestled for his adopted nation, Great Britain, in the Olympics….
The all time deportation record
The US deported more illegal immigrants than ever before during the first 2 years of President Obama’s administration. “In both fiscal years 2009 and 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed more illegal immigrants than ever before, with more than 779,000 removals nationwide in the last 2 years,” Homeland Security Secretary…
Where you live affects your chances of deportation
The Obama administration says its top immigration enforcement priority is deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to the community–namely, convicted criminals. But local law enforcement officers have employed part of the 1996 law that lets them enforce federal immigration law–a provision known as 287 g–without recourse to that standard,…
Number of undocumented unchanged
There were an estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants living in the US in March 2010, the Pew report finds, a number statistically unchanged from the year before. “The US economy is still doing better than the Mexican economy, and the figures suggest these immigrants are finding enough here to hang…