PROVING PHYSICAL PRESENCE – A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Immigration applications frequently require the applicant to prove that he or she was physically present in the United States on a certain date. Back in the days of 245(i), it was proving physical presence on December 21, 2000. For cancellation of removal, you have to show 10 years in the US. For deferred action, or […]
ARRABALLY ADJUSTMENTS: GREEN CARDS FOR PEOPLE WHO ENTERED THE US ILLEGALLY
Have you been granted TPS or deferred action (DACA) and eligible for an I-130 petition but stuck and unable to adjust your status (file for a green card from within the United States) because of your past unlawful presence? Then seeking Advance Parole may be your answer. If you entered the United States without being legally admitted […]
ADDRESSES – ACCURACY MATTERS
A lot of our clients frequently use different addresses for different purposes. This may be because an address used is “more permanent,” or another address is less reliable, or someone else lives at that address who cannot be trusted to keep important mail from USCIS or the immigration courts.Many times, confusion over addresses is caused […]
REVOCABLE DIVORCES VS. US IMMIGRATION
Marriage and divorce is understood differently across various cultures. That leads to different laws regarding marriage and divorce. We last touched on this subject back in 2010 in our Blawg post “A Marriage Is A Marriage, But Is A Divorce A Divorce?” Since then, the interplay of foreign marital law and US immigration law has […]
FILING FOR CITIZENSHIP ISN’T ALWAYS EASY
Citizenship is in many ways the end of the long road of immigration. Besides its obvious civic value, we celebrate grants of citizenship with our clients because it is truly an accomplishment. Even “simple” or “straightforward” cases involve a great deal of patience, time, and uncertainty. But if you’ve ever had to fight USCIS to win […]
HMA LAW: 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW
It has been a fulfilling and eventful 2016 at the HMA Law Firm! In our main office in Northern Virginia: We represented approximately 350 people in complex matters ranging from asylum to employment-based immigration, citizenship, and criminal immigration matters. We advised nearly one thousand other people, providing them with case-specific advice that helped them navigate the US immigration system […]
PROTECT DUE PROCESS
The chaos from the Muslim ban continues to tear at the fabric of our country. It’s but one page in a playbook, but I’m quite content to focus on it because I believe victories gained here will pay forward to other battles against the accumulation of power. In one week the executive branch has disrupted […]
NEW GREEN CARD APPLICATION IS NO JOKE
When you apply for a green card (permanent residency) from inside the US, you have to show you are admissible as if you were outside the US trying to come in. It’s on Form I-485, which used to be 6 pages long and would ask you all kinds of questions about your criminal record, address […]
DON’T ACCIDENTALLY LOSE YOUR PERMANENT RESIDENCE
One of the easiest ways for someone to lose legal permanent residency status (or a green card) is through abandonment, either intentionally or unintentionally. While the process of becoming a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) can be a long and tiring process, the process of losing it can be a simple mistake. One of those mistakes […]
WINNING A SECOND CHANCE AFTER ASYLUM DENIED
You’ve told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You hired a lawyer. You spent countless hours working with your lawyer on collecting evidence, rehearsing your story, making sure everything was correct, and that there were no gaps. You tell yourself that going through this is still better than what you would […]
