New York Lawyer's Legal Updates
New Trends In Naturalization Proceedings: Good Moral Character
19 September 2019Author: US Citizenship Attorney Alena Shautsova I read an article recently that a former political prisoner of Cuba, who advocated against Fidel Castro, was actually detained in Cuba, and later released on the request of the US government and was able to come to the US, was denied US citizenship. USCIS denied him naturalization petition, and the ...
New Public Charge Rule
12 September 2019Author: New York Immigration Attorney Alena Shautsova Will you or our family member be regarded as a public charge under the new rules that come into effect on October 15, 2019? The answer is crucial: if it is a YES, it means you or your loved one may not be able to receive a green card (permanent residency) in the United States or even come to ...
Expansion Of Expedited Removal: New Attack On Due Process Rights
05 August 2019Author: Tomas Greenberg, Alena Shautsova It’s no secret that the current U.S. administration has been cracking down on immigration, and a new policy released by President Trump has only further strengthened these efforts. The policy expands the process of expedited removal—when the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) quickly removes ...
Asylum For MAVNI Applicants
05 August 2019Tomas Greenberg, Alena Shautsova The U.S. government launched the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interests Program (MAVNI) in 2009 to recruit immigrants with language or medical capabilities to the U.S. armed services. Although the program shut down in 2016, a data breach in the military between July 2017 and January 2018 accidental ...
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 ...