New York Lawyer's Legal Updates
Green Card Based On Marriage To The USC
23 July 2019Author: Alena Shautsova One of the ways to obtain a US permanent residency without leaving the US is through marriage to a US citizen. However, not everyone will be eligible for this route. Here are the most common issues that arise when someone is marrying a US citizen: 1. BONA FIDE MARRIAGE The first requirement for adjustment would be to pr ...
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: How To Serve Your Parents
15 July 2019Author: Immigration Attorney Alena Shautsova Special Immigrant Juvenile Status is a good option for children (under 18 or 21 depending on the state law) who were abandoned, neglected or abused by one or both parents and who now are seeking legal status in the US. The first step in obtaining the status would be to go through Family court proceedi ...
Voluntary Departure: Types And Benefits
03 July 2019Author: New York Immigration Attorney Alena Shautsova Voluntary departure is a form of relief from removal. Once the Immigration court proceedings began, one cannot simply leave the US without risking having an order of removal in absentia. At times, voluntary departure is the only option. Sometimes, you choose it strategically: not to have an ord ...
Your Social Media Now Will Be Reviewed By Consul
10 June 2019Author: US Visa Attorney Alena Shautsova Recently, the US government added a new question to the non-immigrant and immigrant visa application forms: the question invites you to share the email addresses and social media accounts you used for the past five years. Note that only the names of the accounts/profiles are required, not the passwords. ...
Same Sex Marriage After Marriage To A Person Of Opposite Sex
19 May 2019Author: Green Card Attorney Alena Shautsova In 2013, the United States Supreme Court recognized the validity of the same-sex marriage. Since that time, USCIS granted numerous cases for the individuals in same-sex marriages, as well as petitions submitted for the same-sex fiancés, waivers, cancellation of removal cases, etc. The question that ari ...
Summary Of Recent Immigration Law Changes
08 May 2019Author: Alena Shautsova Immigration law is one of the fastest changing areas of practice. It is so because unlike in other law areas, the changes may come from the President, USCIS, Board of Immigration Appeals and courts in addition to ... law itself. Here are the key points of what happened within the past month: President Trump announces ...
BIA Motion To Reopen SUA SPONTE
08 May 2019Author: Alena Shautsova If removal or deportation proceedings were lost, a person will have an order of deportation/removal against them. At times, a person would fail to appear in Immigration courts proceedings completely and will have an order of removal/deportation entered against them in absentia. But an order of removal does not mean that a ...
When A State Marijuana-Related Arrest Or Activity Can Become A Citizenship Problem
22 April 2019Author: US citizenship Lawyer Alena Shautsova Recently, in response to states’ trying to decriminalize the use of marijuana, USCIS published policy updates stating that certain actions even though might not be criminal on a state level will be regarded as a “problem” when it comes to Immigration. The exact language of the USCIS’s announcement read ...
New Change Of Status I-539 Form
08 April 2019Author: US Visa Attorney Alena Shautsova A person who is in the United States in lawful status may wish to change that status, for example, from a tourist to a student, or to extend that status, for example, to stay in the US and travel longer or to continue his/her education. In such cases, a person has to file a special form I-539 and submit a ...
Recapturing Priority Date For An Aged Out Children Of LPR
08 April 2019Author: New York Family Immigration Attorney Alena Shautsova Priority dates in immigration play vital role: when priority date is current, a person who had a petition filed for them can adjust their status or file for an Immigrant visa. In some categories, people wait for years or even decades for a priority date to become "current". In a cer ...