Musings on Immigration

President Trump signed an Executive Order on January 27, 2017, entitled “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals."  This Executive Order had immediate effects on people traveling to the United States, but also has a long term impact on individuals with visas and permanent residence in the United States today.     First, this Order specifically restricts any and all visa-issuance for individuals from   Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Somalia , and   Iran,   e.g.  “Nationals of Countries of Particular Concern”. Additional countries could be included at a later date.  What this means is that the USCIS and the Department of State cannot grant lawful permanent residence, or issue approvals for status changes, or issue visas to people   born   in these countries for the duration of the Executive Order, likely for at least 90 days.  In addition, this means that Customs and Border Protection cannot "ad...

A few months ago we met with a lawful permanent resident who unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer.  That’s devastating news to anyone. Naturally, her mother offered to come to Georgia to help with her grandchildren and daughter during treatment and recovery.  Her husband needed to continue working to cover their needs and the growing medical bills, which meant that they needed family to help. The only problem is that her mother lives in Mexico and she needs a Visa to travel to the U.S. Her mother immediately applies for a Visa to come to the U.S. to help her daughter for a few months. She submits all the documents requested and waits for her interview at the U.S. consulate in Mexico. After all the wait they denied her Visa, she was not allowed to travel to the U.S. That’s when the daughter called our office. At that point we pursued Humanitarian Parole on behalf of the mother. The application was filed from the U.S. and within 2 months of applying the mother was ab...

The reunification of families is the foundation of our immigration system, and more importantly, the foundation of our society. Virtually every immigration law in place today is either designed to encourage families to reunite in the United States or to stay together as they immigrate. There are laws to reunite refugee families, keep the families of employment-based immigrants together, and, of course, enable a variety of close family members to immigrate to the United States if their relatives are U.S. citizens (USCs) or lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Congress has clearly and consistently emphasized the importance of families as the foundation of our overall immigration strategy. Or, at least it says it has. Current System Not Family-Friendly Unfortunately, the reality of this nation’s family-based immigration system is that it is woefully inadequate in reuniting families in any reasonable timeframe. Congress’s failure to include family members in the legalization programs of the ...