Immigration Blog

Alexander J. Segal's picture

Jeff Sessions Resigns as AG - Replaced by Matthew Whitaker in Acting Capacity

On November 7, 2018, now former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the request of President Donald Trump. Upon the resignation of Sessions, President Trump has appointed Matthew Whitaker as the acting Attorney General under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3345(a)(3) – a provision of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act which allows the President to appoint certain employees of a federal agency to fill a vacancy in an acting capacity. In this article, we will discuss what the change means for immigration law going forward.

Eliza Grinberg's picture

USCIS Revises Policy Manual and AFM to Remove and Modify Outdated References to Form G-325

On October 25, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published Policy Alert (PA)-2010-10, titled “SUBJECT: Use of Form G-325A.” It updates the Policy Manual and the Adjudicator's Field Manual to account for changes in the use of the Form G-325.

Alexander J. Segal's picture

Supreme Court Shuffles Circuit Assignments With Swearing in of Justice Kavanaugh

On October 19, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States shuffled its circuit justice assignments with the swearing in of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Alexander J. Segal's picture

President Trump Signs New Hezbollah Sanctions

On October 25, 2018, President Donald Trump marked the 35th anniversary of Hezbollah’s bombing the U.S. Marines barracks in Beiruit – killing 241 U.S. Marines – by signing into law stringent new sanctions against the Iran-backed Islamist terror group. The Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2018 was sponsored by Senator Marco Rubio and was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress.

Alexander J. Segal's picture

November 2018 Visa Bulletin and Adjustment of Status Filing Charts

On October 5, 2018, the U.S. Department of State published the Visa Bulletin for November 2018. The Visa Bulletin for November 2018 contains final action dates and dates for filing for the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories. On October 12, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that beneficiaries of approved immigrant visa petitions in the family- and employment-based preferences who are applying for adjustment of status must use the more favorable filing dates for determining eligibility to file for adjustment in November. In this article, we will review the relevant charts and news from the Visa Bulletin for November 2018.

Eliza Grinberg's picture

USCIS Assists in Successful Prosecution for Fraudulently Practicing Immigration Law

On October 19, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a news alert about its efforts in assisting with the investigation and successful prosecution of an individual for fraudulently practicing immigration law.

Melsida Asatrian's picture

EOIR Swears in 46 New Immigration Judges in Largest Ever Investiture Ceremony

On September 28, 2018, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it had completed its largest ever immigration judge investiture, swearing in 46 new members of the immigration bench. The investiture of 46 new immigration judges in the September 28, 2018 announcement followed the investiture of 23 immigration judges announced on August 16, 2018. This uptick in immigration judge hiring has brought the size of the immigration judge corps to 395. In this post, we will briefly examine the new resumes of each of the 46 new immigration judges, sorted by the immigration courts on which they will serve.

Melsida Asatrian's picture

Two Changes to Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual

On October 16, 2018, the Execution Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) made two important changes to the Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual. In this post, I will discuss the changes.

Eliza Grinberg's picture

USCIS Sending Corrected Forms I-751 Receipt Notices to Certain Conditional LPRs

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stated that it began issuing new receipt notices for certain Forms I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions, on October 16, 2018. The USCIS issued receipt notices in August of 2018 for certain pending Forms I-751 which reflected the extension of conditional permanent resident status for 18 months instead of 12. However, the USCIS has now stated that some of these August receipt notices contained incorrect information “that does not affect the extension of the [conditional permanent resident] status.” Thus, it is important to note that the USCIS error has no effect on the 18-month extension of conditional permanent resident status.

Melsida Asatrian's picture

EOIR Opens Conroe Immigration Court

On October 15, 2018, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) opened the Conroe Immigration Court. The Conroe Immigration Court is a detained-only Immigration Court serving the Houston, Texas, area of operations.

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