Author Archive:

Request to Expedite, Two for One!

expediteOur client’s request to expedite was recently approved. She has a long pending marriage-based adjustment of status application. This request fast-tracked her travel document application and her work authorization application, based on her need to travel abroad to visit her ailing grandmother.

 

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-714-4375 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

VAWA Green Card Approval

Recently, we were thrilled for our client that her VAWA/Abuse based case was approved in less than four months. We helped her to quickly prepare a strong application that clearly told her story to USCIS. Now, she is a permanent resident without conditions and soon will be eligible to apply for US citizenship.

 

 

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-714-4375 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

 

February 28 Update – U.S. citizenship after immigrating almost 9 years ago

Us citizenship -American flag and USCIS logoLast week, we represented a client who obtained U.S. citizenship after immigrating to the U.S. almost 9 years ago. He had met his wife in Europe, married there, had a child there and immigrated to the U.S. on a marriage based green card. He now enjoys the peace and security of U.S. citizenship.

 

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-714-4375 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

Practice Alert: USCIS Decoupling Adjudication of EADs and Advance Paroles to Expedite EAD Issuance

Practice Alert: USCIS Decoupling Adjudication of EADs and Advance Paroles to Expedite EAD IssuancePractice Alert: USCIS Decoupling Adjudication of EADs and Advance Paroles to Expedite EAD Issuance

AILA has been made aware that USCIS is prioritizing working through an EAD backlog to avoid applicants experiencing a lapse or prolonged lapse in employment. This follows reports from AILA members receiving EAD cards that do not include AP travel authorization.
AILA Doc. No. 22022403

February 10 Update – Employment Authorization Documents Approved

Employment Authorization Documents Approved – In the past month, three of our clients were thrilled that their requests to expedite were approved. All three clients received the approval of the Employment Authorization Documents within a week of filing the request, and received their card in the mail just days following. The Biden Administration recently loosened the requirements for the request to expedite. This was a long overdue and crucial step that will begin to solve the processing time crisis at USCIS.

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-714-4375 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

DHS Secretary Mayorkas on the Southern‌ ‌border

Southern‌ ‌borderThe‌ ‌Department‌ ‌of‌ ‌Homeland‌ ‌Security‌ ‌Alejandro‌ ‌Mayorkas‌ ‌appeared‌ ‌on‌ ‌“CBS‌ ‌This‌ Morning”‌ ‌last‌ ‌week‌ ‌to‌ ‌discuss‌ ‌his‌ ‌visit‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Southern‌ ‌border.‌ ‌He‌ ‌began‌ ‌by‌ ‌describing‌ ‌the‌ ‌ burden‌ ‌placed‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌president‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌previous‌ ‌administration.‌ ‌The‌ ‌CBS‌ ‌host‌ ‌then‌ ‌questioned‌ him‌ ‌on‌ ‌his‌ ‌decision‌ ‌to‌ ‌visit‌ ‌El‌ ‌Paso‌ ‌as‌ ‌opposed‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Rio‌ ‌Grande‌ ‌or‌ ‌Fort‌ ‌Bliss,‌ ‌where‌ ‌many‌ ‌ unaccompanied‌ ‌minors‌ ‌are‌ ‌currently‌ ‌held.‌ ‌Mayorkas‌ ‌defended‌ ‌his‌ ‌decision,‌ ‌arguing‌ ‌that‌ ‌he‌ ‌ was‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌a‌ ‌“full‌ ‌expanse”‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Department‌ ‌of‌ ‌Homeland‌ ‌Security’s‌ ‌impact.‌ ‌He‌ ‌also‌ ‌ claimed‌ ‌that‌ ‌Vice‌ ‌President‌ ‌Kamala‌ ‌Harris‌ ‌was‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌communicate‌ ‌with‌ ‌locals‌ ‌and‌ ‌ unaccompanied‌ ‌minors‌ ‌on‌ ‌this‌ ‌trip,‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌existing‌ ‌itinerary.‌ ‌According‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Secretary,‌ ‌ attention‌ ‌to‌ ‌Fort‌ ‌Bliss‌ ‌falls‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Department‌ ‌of‌ ‌Health‌ ‌and‌ ‌Human‌ ‌Services.‌ ‌The‌ ‌host‌ ‌then‌ ‌ asked‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌Biden‌ ‌administration’s‌ ‌efforts‌ ‌in‌ ‌repealing‌ ‌Title‌ ‌42,‌ ‌a‌ ‌Trump-era‌ ‌policy‌ ‌ allowing‌ ‌the‌ ‌government‌ ‌to‌ ‌block‌ ‌thousands‌ ‌of‌ ‌asylum‌ ‌claims.‌ ‌Secretary‌ ‌Mayorkas‌ ‌deflected‌ ‌ the‌ ‌question‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Center‌ ‌for‌ ‌Disease‌ ‌Control,‌ ‌claiming‌ ‌the‌ ‌issue‌ ‌was‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌public‌ ‌health‌ 

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-744-7919 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization

Interagency Strategy for Promoting NaturalizationThe Department of Homeland Security’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services released the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization this past Friday. This is a new intergovernmental approach to promote naturalization and eliminate excessive barriers to citizenship. According to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, this new strategy “will ensure that aspiring citizens are able to pursue naturalization through a clear and coordinated process.” 

The report is the collaboration of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of State, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veteran Affairs, and the Social Security Administration. These groups assemble the Naturalization Working Group, an interagency established following President Biden’s February executive order, intended to fix the problems in the immigration system. As Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the announcement, “new citizens make our nation better,” and this new report reflects this sentiment. 

Supreme Court Rules Against Bond Hearings for Certain Immigrants

Supreme Court Rules Against Bond Hearings for Certain ImmigrantsThe Supreme Court decided this Tuesday that immigrants fearing persecution in their home countries can be indefinitely detained if they were previously deported and re-entered the United States without authorization. The partisan 6-3 decision held that deported immigrants who re-entered have no right to a hearing regarding their release while the government considers their claims. In the words of Justice Samuel Alito, “those aliens are not entitled to a bond hearing.”

The case involved deportees who had re-entered the United States. An immigration officer determined they had a “reasonable fear” for their safety if they returned. The immigrants were seeking withholding hearings. The court argued that, since the immigrants were facing removal based on the reinstatement of a previous order, they were not allowed to argue again for their release. 

As dissenting Justice Stephen Breyer mentioned, withholding proceedings often take more than a year, some up to two. This decision just delays the lives of these immigrants further, making them wait in fear. There is no justified reason to deny these people a new life, and subject them to persecution at home.

Mistrial Interrupts Minimum Wage Case for Immigrant Detainees

Mistrial Interrupts Minimum Wage Case for Immigrant DetaineesU.S. District Judge Robert Bryan of Tacoma declared a mistrial this Thursday after the jury failed to come to agreement. The case was raised against GEO Group over wage concerns. The group was paying immigrant detainees only $1 a day for tasks like cooking and cleaning at its for-profit detention center in Washington State. It was Democratic Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson that sued the company in 2017, demanding the Florida-based group pay detainees the minimum wage. A separate lawsuit also demanded back pay. Geo Group argued that the detainees were not employees under the Washington Minimum Wage Act. It also said it would be unlawfully discriminatory for the state to mandate Geo Group to pay the minimum wage when the state does not pay the same to its own inmates. 

The immigrant detention center that Geo Group operates is one of the largest in the country. It generated $18.6 million in profits in 2018, while it would only cost $3.4 million to pay the detainees a minimum wage. This failure to pay workers fairly is unjust, and reveals the inherent greed of for-profit detention centers. 

 

If you need to talk to an experienced immigration attorney. We’ve helped hundreds of couples traverse the complicated immigration and citizenship process. We would love to help you as well.  Call 617-676-0503 or email hello@cambridgeimmigrationlaw.com to get in touch.

Free Download!

Marriage-Based Green Card Document Guide

We work hard to make your immigration case easy for you. Use this easy guide to help you organize the documents that you would use if you are eligible to submit an application for a marriage-based green card application. You should consult with an attorney to figure out if you are eligible for a green card before you submit any applications or documents to the U.S. government.