On February 24, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin implementing its new public charge rule nationwide, except in Illinois. The new public charge rule remains enjoined in Illinois by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The USCIS provided guidance for public charge determinations in Illinois under the current legal situation.
Submitted by Eliza Grinberg on February 10, 2020 - 12:46pm
On February 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated its website to provide information on its implementation of a fully digitized visa application process for family-based immigrant visa cases.
On January 27, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States stayed a universal injunction entered by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) new public charge rule. In this post, we will briefly examine an interesting concurring opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, and joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, inveighing against the increasing tendency of district court judges to enter universal injunctions, preventing the Government from implementing a policy nationwide.
Submitted by Eliza Grinberg on January 30, 2020 - 12:20pm
On January 27, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States stayed a universal injunction against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) public charge rule that had been entered by the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had denied the Government’s motion to stay. The Supreme Court’s stay will remain in effect pending the Government’s appeal of the Southern District decision on the merits of the public charge rule to the Second Circuit. The USCIS has stated it will begin applying the new rule.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) published its monthly immigrant visa bulletin for January 2020 on December 9, 2019. The Visa Bulletin for January 2020 contains information on when beneficiaries of approved family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa preference petitions will be eligible for immigrant visas based on their priority dates. On December 20, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that beneficiaries of approved immigrant visa petitions in both the family-sponsored and employment-based preferences must use the more favorable “dates for filing” charts from the Visa Bulletin for January 2020 to determine if they are eligible to apply for adjustment of status during the month (with limited exceptions).
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it will open a third immigration court in Houston, Texas, on January 6, 2019. The new immigration court will be the Houston – S. Gessner Road Immigration Court.
Submitted by Eliza Grinberg on December 23, 2019 - 9:15am
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) opened a new immigration court in Los Angeles on December 9, 2019. The new Los Angeles — Van Nuys Blvd. Immigration Court will cover Kern, San Luis Obsipo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
On December 20, 2019, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) invested 28 new immigration judges in a ceremony presided over by Acting Chief Immigration Judge Christopher A. Santoro. The 28 new immigration judges were selected by Attorney General William P. Barr. The EOIR noted that the immigration judge corps – now numbering over 465 – is at its largest size in history. In this article, we will briefly examine the biographies of the 28 new immigration judges, sorted by the courts on which they serve.
Submitted by Eliza Grinberg on November 26, 2019 - 10:22am
On November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, Docket No. 18-587. The case involves the validity of the DHS's decision to end the DACA program. In this article, we will examine the key points from the oral arguments in the DACA recession cases.
On November 13, 2019, the U.S. Senate confirmed Chad Wolf as the new Under Secretary of Homeland Security Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans by a vote of 54-41. He also assumed the role of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and appointed Ken Cuccinelli to the second position in the Department.
