Applicants are often under the misimpression that once one has passed the history test, he/she has passed the examination and is entitled to citizenship. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. There are a number of requirements in or…
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USCIS recently revised their Policy Manual on Naturalization to further address the legal effect of absences outside the US. This guidance particularly affects green card holders who have traveled outside the United States for more than one year and…
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Late last year, USCIS adopted two significant policy changes pertaining to Good Moral Character for naturalization petitions. (Every applicant must demonstrate Good Moral Character in order to become a US Citizen.) The first one, which we previously…
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Under certain circumstances, a lawful permanent may apply for naturalization after only three years versus the requisite five years that is normally required. In order to qualify, the applicant must demonstrate that he/she has been a green card holde…
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Not too long ago, Attorney General Bill Barr issued an important decision regarding good moral character determinations within the context of cancellation of removal. Under Matter of Castillo-Perez, the Attorney General held that two or more drunk dr…
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One of the most common questions that our citizenship clients ask is whether there are any travel prohibitions after they have filed for naturalization. At the risk of oversimplifying matters, the short answer is that applicants are allowed to travel…
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Last week, the government announced a series of proposed fee increases that are staggeringly steep. At the moment, the proposal is undergoing a public comment period, but unless there is some sort of litigation to block the changes, applicants may ha…
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During his administration, President Trump has repeatedly proclaimed his intentions on ending birthright or automatic citizenship for those born within the United States. To be clear, birthright citizenship is still intact, but the latest USCIS polic…
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A deeply jarring decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals came out late last month pertaining to the issue of false claims to US Citizenship. Under Section 237(a)(3)(D)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, “an alien who falsely repr…
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Green Card holders interested in becoming United States Citizens should be aware that USCIS is planning on revising the civics test as part of a new decennial review and revision process. Under this plan, the citizenship test will be reviewed every t…
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