GUIDANCE ON CHECKING VERACITY OF FORM I-551 WITHOUT VIOLATING ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for the Department of Justice (DOJ) provided a Technical Assistance Letter (TAL)[1] to an immigration attorney who requested an advisory opinion…

EOIR Announces New Appointments in November 2015

EOIR ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF SIX NEW ASSISTANT CHIEF IMMIGRATION JUDGES

On November 12, 2015, the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the…

DOS Provides “Crosswalk Charts” for 9 FAM and 9 FAMe

The Department of State (DOS) has completely renumbered and rewritten 9 FAM (FAM is short for “Foreign Affairs Manual”). The new section is titled “9 FAMe” and is available on the DOS website. 9 FAMe contains DOS guidance regarding…

USING COLLATERAL ESTOPPEL AGAINST THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN IMMIGRATION MATTERS

Collateral estoppel is a legal doctrine that precludes subsequent litigation of legal determinations of fact and law that have already resulted in final judgments. The rationale behind…

Senator James Lankford’s “Federal Fumbles” Covers Example of Ice Waste

For years, Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma released an annual “Government Wastebook.” Each addition was free to download from the Senator’s website and took a humorous look at some of the more…

Green Card Marriage Interview — Processes and Proceedings

Definition: A Green Card is the authorization issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to signify that the holder has been granted permanent residency status in the United States. This means that…

Asylum and Refugee Q&A with the Nebraska Service Center

On November 12, 2015, an interesting Q and A was conducted with the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) about asylee and refugee issues. You may read the Q&A yourself here.[1]

DHS Issues Guide for Filing DHS-Related Complaints

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the most important administrative agency in immigration law, encompassing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and…

House Passes Legislation to Improve VWP Security

On December 8, 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 (PDF of the legislation)[1] by a margin of 407–19 (henceforth H.R. 158). In order to become law, the…