Apr
27

By

President’s Trump 60-day Immigration Ban

Category: Uncategorized

On April 22, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation “Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak”. The Proclamation is effective for 60 days from April 23, 2020.

The Proclamation suspended US entry of individuals who do not have an immigrant visa or an official travel document. The Proclamation does not apply to green card holders, health care professionals and their spouse and children under 21 years old, EB-5 investors, spouses of US citizens, children of US citizens under 21 years old and prospective adoptees, individuals whose entry would further important U.S. law enforcement objectives, members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouses and children, Special Immigrants the SI or SQ classification and individuals whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees.

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law in order to outline the Proclamation. If you or your family member are looking for an experienced immigration attorney, call us at 480-425-2009 today for a confidential consultation or contact us via our website.

Mar
20

By

H-1B registration ends on March 20, 2020 (noon ET)

Category: H-1B, H-1B attorney in Phoenix, H-1B cap, H-1B filing deadline, Uncategorized

The USCIS has implemented the electronic registration process for the first time for the fiscal year 2021 (FY 2021) H-1B cap.

The employers (registrants), who are seeking authorization to employ H-1B workers subject to the cap, must first electronically register and pay $10 registration fee for each employee. The H-B registration process for FY 2021  started on March 1, 2020 at noon ET and remain open until March 20, 2020 at noon ET.

The H-1B random selection process, if needed, will then be run on properly submitted electronic registrations. The USCIS intends to notify selected registrants by March 31, 2020. The selected registrants may start filing H-1B cap-subject petitions on April 1, 2020.

If you are considering applying for H1-B status for your employee and would like an attorney to help you navigate this new process, call our experienced H-1B Immigration Attorney Irena Juras at 480-425-2009 or contact us via our website and we will assist you.

Sep
29

By

Last chance to get a green card (EB-5) for $500,000 before November 21

Category: Uncategorized Tags:

Starting November 21, 2019, new EB-5 regulations will take effect. The minimum investment amount will increase from $1 million to $1.8 million and from $500,000 to $900,000 for investments in commercial enterprises located in a Targeted Employment Area (“TEA”) . The investment amount will be adjusted every 5 years based on inflation. In addition, the USCIS will no longer defer to TEA designations made by state and local governments and will directly review and determine the designation of high-unemployment TEA. TEA areas are areas that have experienced an average unemployment rate of at least 150% of the national average unemployment rate. TEA will now consist of a combination of census tracts that include the tract or contiguous tracts in which the new commercial enterprise is principally doing business, including any or all directly adjacent tracts. Further, under the new rule, in certain circumstances, USCIS will allow certain petitioners to retain the priority date of a previously approved I-526 petition. These new rules will apply to petitions filed starting November 21, 2019.

If you are considering, apply for a green card based on investment, call EB-5 investment attorney Irena Juras at 480 425 2009 to schedule a consultation.

Aug
13

By

Public Charge Rule Changes

Category: Uncategorized

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, an individual may be denied admission into the U.S. or adjustment to lawful permanent resident status (green card) if (s)he is “likely at any time to become a public charge.” 
The term “public charge” has been interpreted as a person who is or is likely to become “primarily dependent” on “public cash assistance for income maintenance” or “institutionaliz[ed] for long-term care at government expense.” On August 12, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that amends DHS regulations how DHS will determine individual’s likelihood of becoming a public charge. The final rule incorporates consideration of more kinds of public benefits received, including cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, most forms of Medicaid, and certain housing programs.

This regulation does not apply to humanitarian-based immigration programs for refugees, asylees, Special Immigrant Juveniles, certain trafficking victims, victims of qualifying criminal activity, or victims of domestic violence . This final rule goes into effect on October 15, 2019.

This change is likely to expand the number of immigrants that ineligible for green cards and admission to the United States .

For more information and to determine how this change may affect your case, call Immigration attorney Juras Law Firm, PLC at 480-425-2009 or contact us via email.

Jul
19

By

Marriage Green Card Interview Completed in 25 Minutes

Category: Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

We would you like to congratulate to our client who just received approval of her marriage green card application. She is from the Philippines and was introduced to her American husband through mutual friends. Her husband traveled to the Philippines twice before he proposed. He came to Juras Law Firm seeking representation in the fiancee and marriage green card process. We prepared the petition for fiance documenting thoroughly our clients’ relationship. It took less than 5 months to have the petition approved. After our client entered the US with her fiancee visa, our clients got married and we prepared the marriage green card application. At that time, we already had a note for a doctor that our client is pregnant. We created a plan for our clients what evidence we wanted them to gather while waiting for the marriage green card interview. It took 14 months before we received the notice of the marriage green card interview. We prepared all the documents that the USCIS wanted to see and the marriage green card was approved in 25 minutes. Our clients were happy that the entire process went smoothly. Congratulations to receiving your marriage green card!

Feb
8

By

Marriage Green Card Approved in Less Than 10 Minutes

Category: Uncategorized Tags:

My clients met 3 years ago and got married 23 months later. The husband is a citizen of France and the wife is a U.S. citizen. They came to my office a few months after they got married seeking representation in connection with wife petitioning for her husband’s marriage green card. I explained the process and the importance of documenting bona fides of their marriage and created a plan for evidencing all aspects of bona fides of their marriage.

At the time of filing the petition, the processing time was less than a year. However, recently, the processing time has increased and it took 1.5 years for the interview to be scheduled for them. My clients followed my advice and documented bona fides of their marriage diligently exactly according to my instructions. I prepared my client for the interview and they knew exactly what to expect at the interview.

Once the officer of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) saw that we presented evidence of all aspects of their marriage and once he saw all evidence the USCIS expects to see in a marriage green card case, he approved the husband’s marriage green card in less than 10 minutes. The officer did not even ask how they met!

This marriage green card case really shows the importance of preparation, the importance of working with an experienced immigration attorney who knows exactly what the USCIS expects and wants to see in order to avoid any delays and have the marriage green card case processed smoothly. Congratulations!

If you like your marriage green card case to go smoothly and be processed without delays, call the marriage green card immigration attorney Irena Juras at 480-425-2009 for a consultation or contact us through our website. We look forward to helping you get your marriage green card!

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