On August 29, 2011, USCIS announced a "Business Transformation Regulation." It essentially heralds a government initiative to become more modernized. Over the next couple of years, USCIS will slowly be moving from a paper-based filing system to a computer based one,...
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Month: August 2011
What Constitutes Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Residence?
A very interesting decision came down recently regarding lawful permanent residence and what constitutes abandonment. The case is Khoshfahm v. Holder. Although this is a 9th Circuit Case, it is nevertheless illuminating, and provides a good discussion of what the...
New Jersey SSI Recipients May Benefit from New Citizenship Policy
On August 12, USCIS announced a new protocol to expedite the handling of N-400 Applications for Naturalization for certain Non-citizens who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (or SSI) from the government. Although it is only taking about roughly three to four...
How do I change my address with Immigration?
Keeping USCIS informed of your address is critically important. Not only is it actually required for most aliens (see INA §265), most people are unaware that there are criminal penalties for failing to report a change of address. See INA §266. While violations are...
Haitian TPS Re-Registration Deadline this Monday!
Citizens or nationals of Haiti under a grant of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, are required to re-register during the applicable re-registration period in order to maintain their protected status. The Re-registration period for Haitians is August 23, 2011! (Those...
New Case May Affect Interrogation of Illegal Immigrants in New Jersey
Readers should be aware of a very disturbing decision issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) last week. The case is Matter of E-R-M-F & A-S-M, 25 I&N Dec. 580 (BIA 2011). The case essentially stands for the proposition that the ICE officers do not...
Diversity Visa Lottery Email Scams
People interested in or who have applied for the Diversity Lottery Visas should be aware that there has been a "notable increase" in fraudulent emails from scammers attempting to deceive unknowing victims into remitting visa fees for "winning" a visa under the...
Looks like ICE will be coming to New Jersey Jails…
In an arresting and chilling development, ICE announced last Friday that it has determined that it does need permission from states to activate or run its Secure Communities Program. As a result, it has terminated all existing MOAs, or Memorandums of Agreements, that...
New Immigration Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey?
Last week, NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg sent a letter to the director of ICE regarding claims of improper influence during the bidding process for a new detention facility in Essex County. Apparently, according to the <a...