Hey! It’s Josh here again. “A real-life struggle…” I’m used to describing my client’s struggles this way, as the obstacles & situations they have to overcome are almost always…BEYOND BELIEF! However…Today I want to share a real-life struggle I faced in 2020. Why? Well, simply put, I completely FAILED 3 times before FINALLY accomplishing a …
Continue reading "Mission accomplished – I want to share this with you!"
READ MOREChanges are coming! If you’re engaged to be married and are going through the K-1 Visa petition process, 2020 has been a rough year! During what should be one of the happiest times in your life preparing to get married, you’ve likely faced frustrating delays, problems at the National Visa Center, or consulates around the …
Continue reading "K-1 Fiancé Visas Will Be Changing"
READ MOREIn recent weeks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two COVID-19 vaccines—one from Pfizer and one from Moderna. On December 14th, the first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Southern California. It is a desperately needed glimmer of hope on the horizon, as Los Angeles County recently set another new high for COVID-19 hospitalizations. …
READ MOREIt’s important we talk about THIS! Hey! It’s Josh here again. Happy New Year. I hope you and your family are safe and every day closer to your immigration goal! Sadly, today I have not so great news to share with you…Trump Has Extended His Previous Proclamation Into March Of This Year. Of course, this …
Continue reading "BREAKING (and not so great) Immigration News From Trump!"
READ MOREThis is the perfect occasion to say ‘THANK YOU’! Hey! It’s Josh here again. This is it. This is effectively how 2020 is coming to an end. No one could’ve predicted how this year would turn out for most of the world…(Let alone those in the middle of an immigration process)… But I believe this …
Continue reading "Time to put a spin on ‘New Year, New Me’"
READ MORENot an update, but more of a virtual hug from me to you. Hey! It’s Josh here again. This year has definitely been a ride…In fact, I’d dare to say it’s probably been the most important year for immigration in recent history. Good news, bad news, mixed news…However, despite all of these changes, there’s one …
Continue reading "The Holiday Season is the perfect occasion to say what I admire about you!"
READ MOREOn December 14th, 2020, the Electoral College officially affirmed Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. With President-Elect Biden set to assume office in a little more than a month, large and swift shifts are expected on immigration policy. There are major implications for the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Here, our Los …
READ MOREOn December 2nd, 2020, the United States Senate passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020. It represents the biggest legislative step yet in what has been a winding road for the proposed reform. If signed into law, the bill would eliminate national origin caps for employment visas, potentially reducing backlogs and wait times …
Continue reading "United States Senate Passes the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020"
READ MOREThe visa application process can be slow. Many applicants run into frustrating and prolonged delays. Administrative processing has sometimes been referred to as a “black hole” for visa applicants. Essentially, the term “administrative processing” is government-speak for a temporary refusal pending a further investigation of the application. In this context, a refusal is not the …
READ MOREAs reported by The Sacramento Bee, several top California legislators are pushing the state to expand health coverage to undocumented immigrants. They are actively seeking support from Governor Gavin Newsom. If passed into law, Assembly Bill 4 (AB 4) would give all low-income adults in California the right to enroll in Medi-Cal—regardless of their immigration …
READ MOREOn December 4th, 2020, there was another major development in DACA litigation. A federal judge ordered the full reinstatement of the program. As reported by The New York Times, Judge Nicholas Garaufis vacated the Trump Administration’s July order preventing new applicants from applying for protection. Here, our DACA lawyer provides an overview of the federal …
READ MOREOn December 1st, 2020, the Los Angeles Times confirmed that the organization has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an effort to seek records and information from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) claim was filed after a recent investigative report revealed allegations …
READ MORERead this to find out all about it. Hey! It’s Josh here again. Over the past few weeks, more and more people have been asking me about what will change regarding the K1 VISA under the Biden administration. Turns out – There are changes coming! In March, 2020, the Trump administration decided to arbitrarily suspend …
Continue reading "[UPDATE] Biden will change THIS about K1-VISAS…"
READ MORETurns out we both agree on this one… Hey! It’s Josh here again. One of my favorite movies of all time is … Ghostbusters! (The original one, of course) Which got me thinking…If Donald Trump ever needed an Immigration lawyer…Would he call me? Well… If there’s a strange delay…With your VISA case…Who you gonna’ call? All …
Continue reading "Did Donald Trump just… ENDORSE me??"
READ MOREAccording to a report from The Wall Street Journal, a federal judge in Oakland, California has blocked President Trump’s new restrictions on H-1B visas. District Judge Jeffrey S. White ruled that the Trump Administration failed to demonstrate “good cause needed to skip the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).” Here, our …
Continue reading "California Federal Judge Throws Out President Trump’s New H-1B Visa Rules"
READ MOREAccording to a report from ABC News, the Supreme Court of the United States is set to review a Trump Administration plan that would exclude millions of undocumented immigrants from the official census statistics. In effect, the outgoing administration proposal would shift billions of dollars of federal funding out of communities with high numbers of …
READ MOREEverything you need to know Hey! It’s Josh here again. It’s no secret: The National Visa Center is a source of TREMENDOUS FRUSTRATION for people going through a VISA petition process. In other words…It seems their job is to keep you stuck FOREVER. (Which would make president Trump very happy…) That’s why today, I want to share …
Continue reading "How to BREAK THROUGH visa delays at the National Visa Center!"
READ MOREOn November 16th, 2020, KQED-FM published an important story on the “huge relief” that many immigrants across California are feeling in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Particularly in California’s large Iranian-American community, there is hope that the incoming Biden Administration will relax or eliminate President Trump’s travel bans. The harsh travel bans have made …
READ MOREAccording to a report from KTLA 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently pardoned ten immigrants convicted of decades-old criminal offenses. In doing so, he may help to spare them from being deported from the United States. The immigrants were identified as ‘at-risk’ by state authorities. Notably, the pardons were issued as part of a larger …
READ MOREOn November 10th, 2020, the Associated Press (AP) published a report noting that significant, swift changes are expected on federal immigration policy in the initial days of the Biden Administration. As President-Elect, Joe Biden is informing allies that he plans to use executive authority to roll back many of President Trump’s most controversial immigration orders. …
READ MOREOn November 8th, 2020, the Los Angeles Times published a story on several California churches that are stepping up and providing safety and protection to vulnerable asylum seekers. While these churches are facing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now using the space and the resources that they have available to assist vulnerable …
Continue reading "Disrupted By COVID-19, California Churches Offer Safe Place for Asylum Seekers"
READ MOREIf you or your loved one was the victim of a crime, the U visa offers a potential form of immigration relief. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) describes a U visa as a type of nonimmigrant status that is available to certain crime victims who suffered significant trauma and provided assistance to …
Continue reading "How to Bring a Successful U Visa Petition in California"
READ MOREOn November 7th, 2020, several news organizations declared Joe Biden the presumptive president-elect of the United States. He was able to score crucial victories in Michigan, Wisconsin, and several other swing states. The repudiation of President Trump represents a dramatic shift in the course of our country, particularly in the area of immigration law. As …
Continue reading "Four Things to Know About President-Elect Joe Biden’s Immigration Platform"
READ MOREWondering what this new administration will do for your case? Hey! It’s Josh here again. It happened folks. After 4 long years of intensified racism, hate speech, xenophobia and lack of government support for immigration…Donald Trump has lost the Presidential Election. Which means…There’s finally a glimmer of change when it comes to immigration. As always, …
Continue reading "These MASSIVE immigration changes are coming in 2021"
READ MOREThis is not something you want to miss! Hey! It’s Josh here again. I love it when my clients people FINALLY become naturalized citizens… It’s the end of their immigration journey. Which is why it’s my professional (& moral) duty to share this troubling news with you today: The Rules Have Changed: The Trump Administration …
Continue reading "Oh No… Trump just made things HARDER for immigrants…"
READ MORE