We woke up to great news! There is a stop order (aka Temporary Injunction) on the immigration application fee increase scheduled for this Friday, Oct. 2nd! We've been working around the clock on client cases to make sure they avoid the hike in prices. Now the fee increase is put to a stop for now...

What does this mean?
Many of my clients who wanted to file for certain immigration benefits were facing a potential huge fee increase if they didn't file by October 1, 2020 (TOMORROW)! This new injunction gives folks more time to gather their evidence and their money to apply for immigration benefits at the current posted fees. Immigration will definitely get their boxing gloves to fight about this. But for now, the fees stay the same for the time being.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2020/09/30/judge-blocks-uscis-fee-increases-heres-why-it-happened/#16907320583a

Immigration application fees will be increasing on October 2, 2020! Some of the fees are going up by over 80%. If you have been thinking about applying for an immigration benefit like naturalization or permanent residence based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, please file your application soon to avoid paying the higher fees beginning next month!

Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that they will not accept initial applicants for DACA. Just ten days ago a District Court judge in Maryland ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to begin accepting initial applicants.

We have been rushing to apply for our clients since we thought that the Trump administration would try to put the brakes on DACA. We didn't think it would be this soon. There will certainly be litigation about this program in the near future.

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July 17, 2020, a U.S. District Judge in Maryland ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") to begin accepting new applications for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). I've had several young people over the past few years asking if they could apply for the program. The ability to apply as a first time applicant was suspended in 2017 under the Trump administration.

Following a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding DACA in June 2020, a District Court decided that USCIS must accept new applications!

This is great news! We're offering 10 minute phone consultations for DACA inquiries ONLY for a limited time. Contact us today!

Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this month how F-1 student visa holders would meet new restrictions if their intended schools/universities were to hold ONLINE ONLY classes this upcoming semester.

This threw many clients into a panic since the new semester is to begin next month! MIT and Harvard joined in a lawsuit to contest the new policy. Many companies and states also filed lawsuits.

Yesterday, it was announced that the Trump administration is rescinding the policy. Therefore, F-1 student visa holders may remain in the United States even if their school/university is holding classes only ONLINE this semester.

​https://nyti.ms/390knpR

Surprise! Two prominent U.S. universities filed a lawsuit today in response to the new temporary final order issued by the Department of Homeland Security "DHS" yesterday.

As stated in my last post, foreign F-1 student visa holders enrolled in universities who will have ONLINE ONLY classes this upcoming semester may not remain in the United States. The government's position is that with online only classes, the foreign student does not need to be in the U.S. in order to pursue coursework.

The lawsuit filed by MIT and Harvard argue that this new rule will negatively impact students who are in the middle of pursuing or about to start studies supporting a future career.

This fight isn't over. With classes supposed to start next month, we'll see what happens.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvard-mit-sue-trump-administration-over-international-student-policy-11594214579?st=rquv4nvg8ni0ygb

Many of my student visa clients hope to win the H-1B visa lottery so that they can remain in the United States and have the ability to lawfully work. The Coronavirus has a huge impact on business in America, and millions of individuals are unemployed.

Over the past couple of months I've had a feeling that employment based immigration would be negatively impacted due to the high unemployment in America. We're now seeing some movement in the Trump administration on how business immigration may be limited including suspending H-1B visa issuance and other business visas such as L-1 intercompany transfers and J-1 short term workers.

Many companies rely on the H-1B and other business visa programs for their staff. We will see how things further develop over the next few months.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-suspending-h-1b-other-visas-through-the-fall-11591915950?shareToken=stdcf056a1e8b3411a8943c1eed1028fb1

Find out more about the current situation about immigration and the Coronavirus. Here are some points to know:
1) Immigration will still accept applications and your application fees.
2) The immigration deportation courts are not working at full capacity. If an individual is scheduled for a master calendar hearing, those hearings are cancelled through June 12, 2020 per the information posted by the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR).
3) Invest in yourself! Now is a great time to apply.
4) Stimulus Checks: If you have a family member with whom you file taxes jointly, and that person does not have a social security number, the entire family may not qualify for a stimulus check.

​Stay safe out there!