Immigration Blog

On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the ongoing legal battle surrounding birthright citizenship.  Unfortunately, the decision failed to address the substance of the executive order, and its decision was focused on whether lower federal courts have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions.  Background On the first day of his presidency,...

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The U.S. Department of State has announced a significant change in the visa vetting process for international students and exchange visitors. Under new guidance released on June 18, 2025, all applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications will now be required to make their social media accounts public as part of expanded security...

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Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released updated policy guidance concerning TN visas, which are a vital component of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), formerly known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). What is the TN Visa? The TN (Trade NAFTA) visa is a nonimmigrant classification that allows qualified Canadian and...

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On March 21, 2025, a significant development unfolded in the realm of U.S. immigration oversight. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) received a directive to cease operations. This directive, issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), effectively placed all CIS Ombudsman staff, except for one Senior Executive Service...

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President Donald Trump has reintroduced a key policy from his first term, announcing a new travel ban that affects citizens from 12 countries, with additional restrictions for seven others. This ban is set to take effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m., a move designed to prevent the chaos seen in 2017 when a similar ban...

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The first step to initiating an employer sponsored green card is to request the prevailing wage as part of the PERM process.  This requires setting out the job duties and minimum requirements so that the Department of Labor can determine the wage.  These prevailing wage determinations (PWDs) are now taking 5-6 months. In the past...

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Recent reports have brought to light an alarming pattern: there is a rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detentions taking place at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices. These detentions are happening during scheduled interviews for immigration benefits, such as those for asylum, green card applications, and citizenship processes, as well as...

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A new U.S. visa program backed by President Donald Trump is expected to launch in the coming days. Known as the “Gold Card” visa, the program is expected to offer a pathway to permanent residency, and possibly even U.S. citizenship, for foreign investors willing to invest at least $5 million into the U.S. economy.  President...

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