What are Master Calendar Hearings?
A master calendar hearing (MCH) is a brief, initial meeting regarding your immigration matter. It is generally the preliminary meeting between you, an immigration judge, and a government attorney to assess how your immigration case will proceed. It can be the first step in the process to remove an individual from the United States. In […]
» Read More...July 24, 2019
Visa Delays Leave International Students Stranded
A backlog of student work visa applications at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has left many international students at universities across the U.S. in limbo. Under the Optional Practical Training program, international students who are authorized to attend school in the U.S. can work in a field related to their studies for up […]
» Read More...July 17, 2019
Licensed Undocumented Immigrants May Lead to Safer Roads
Four years after offering undocumented immigrants the opportunity to obtain driver’s licenses, the state of Connecticut has seen a noticeable drop in unlicensed driving citations and hit-and-run crashes. Since the option to obtain a ”Drive Only” license became available, more than 50,000 individuals have completed the testing process to drive legally in Connecticut, not only […]
» Read More...July 10, 2019
Social Media Surveillance and Immigration
For immigration activists, social media is an effective tool to connect and mobilize supporters. Yet some are finding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) scrutinizing their online activity and sharing this information about immigrants and their advocates with government agencies. Many are questioning if the government’s surveillance of online activity violates individuals’ civil liberties and […]
» Read More...June 27, 2019
House Passes Bill to Protect Dreamers
Earlier this month the House of Representatives passed a bill to give more than two million undocumented immigrants a new path to United States citizenship. The DREAM and Promise Act of 2019 is designed to protect “Dreamers,” or migrants brought into the country without authorization as children and those whose home countries are disrupted by […]
» Read More...June 20, 2019
Can I Buy a House While Waiting for Citizenship?
For many individuals, owning a home symbolizes the American dream, something to call their own and pass down to the next generation. But what about immigrants who are not yet citizens? Can they own property in the United States? While the path to home ownership may not be an easy one for most, it is […]
» Read More...June 13, 2019
Search and Seizure Procedures and Your Rights
In advance of a lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is preparing to bring against the United States government, the agency recently initiated a dialogue with various federal agencies about their criteria for searching electronic devices at the border. During the meeting, which was held under-oath, representatives from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and […]
» Read More...June 6, 2019
What are the Steps to Naturalization? Infographic
Becoming a U.S. citizen is a dream for many and through a process called naturalization, an immigrant to the U.S. can become a U.S. citizen. Becoming a U.S. citizen provides many privileges, including the right to vote and eligibility for certain jobs and elected offices. If you or a loved one wants to become a […]
» Read More...May 28, 2019
ICE Detains Pregnant Women
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been detaining an increasing number of pregnant women, a fact verified by their own record keeping. Overall detentions are up because of the Trump administration’s hardline stance against immigration to the United States. Several new executive orders have been issued that enable immigration officials to make more arrests of […]
» Read More...May 22, 2019
US Targets Nations for Visa Overstays
Last month the President released a memo calling the number of unauthorized individuals in the United States on expired visas, “unacceptably high.” Citing a recent Homeland Security report, President Trump issued a directive to federal agencies to consider actions against countries with high visa overstay rates. Twenty countries with overstay rates over 10 percent were […]
» Read More...May 15, 2019