
It’s been a busy summer at the office and in the immigration law world.
This summer we saw the disappointing 4-4 tie at the Supreme Court in the U.S. v. Texas case, challenging President Obama’s 2014 executive action. Many of our clients were hoping to come out of the shadows. Immigration attorneys and advocates were sorely frustrated by the opinion, which in its entirety reads, “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court,” because the Court had the opportunity to provide some constitutional guidance on several issues.
USCIS clarified that the Supreme Court decision did not affect already qualified DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) applicants or the new enforcement priority policies announced in 2014 around prosecutorial discretion.
The biggest change this summer is the expansion of the Provisional Waiver Process. An applicant who is unable to file for adjustment of status (green card) in the United States, must go abroad to their country of nationality or of last habitual residence to complete the process through their consulate or embassy. This caused strain on families due to lengthy periods of separation and anxiety that their waiver petitions would not be approved.
In 2013, USCIS announced a program that allowed immediate relatives of U.S. citizens with approved family petitions with currently available visas to file an I-601A application for a provisional waiver for unlawful presence if their U.S. citizen immediate family member would suffer “extreme hardship” if they were not permitted to return to the United States. If the waiver was approved, they would still go back to their countries for an immigration interview, but the benefit was that they could remain in the United States while their waiver petition. The purpose was to streamline the process and promote family unity.
Beginning on August 29, 2016, USCIS will expand the program to also include immediate family members of lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
Temporary protected status was re-designated for Syria, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Another change to keep an eye on is the limitations imposed on Central Americans in the EB4 priority category. This category includes those applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. This is the first year that there has been a limit imposed on Central American SIJS applicants likely a response to the surge over the past couple of years of juveniles at the U.S./Mexico border. The effect of this is that now while the SIJS visa petition can be decided, these applicants have to wait for their visa number to become current in order to apply for the green card. A big negative here is that work permits, which are needed to apply for a social security number and driver’s license in most states, are unavailable until the juvenile files a petition for a green card (I-485).
We hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer!
Ha sido un verano muy ocupado en la oficina y en el mundo las leyes de inmigración.
Este verano hemos visto el decepcionante empate 4-4 en el Tribunal Supremo en el caso EE.UU. v. Texas, desafiando 2014 acción ejecutiva del presidente Obama. Muchos de nuestros clientes tenían la esperanza de salir de las sombras. Los abogados de inmigración y defensores fueron profundamente frustrado por la opinión, que en su totalidad dice: “El juicio es afirmada por una Corte dividida por igual”, debido a que la Corte tuvo la oportunidad de proporcionar alguna orientación constitucional en varias cuestiones.
USCIS aclaró que la decisión del Tribunal Supremo no afectó DACA ya clasificados (Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia) los solicitantes o las nuevas políticas de prioridad de la fuerza anunciadas en 2014 en torno a la discreción del fiscal.
El cambio más grande de este verano es la expansión del proceso de exención provisional. El candidato que sea incapaz de presentar un ajuste de estatus (tarjeta verde) en los Estados Unidos, debe ir al extranjero a su país de nacionalidad o de su última residencia habitual para completar el proceso a través de su consulado o embajada. Esto causó tensión en las familias debido a largos períodos de separación y la ansiedad que sus peticiones de exención no será aprobada.
En 2013, el USCIS anunció un programa que permitió a los parientes inmediatos de ciudadanos estadounidenses con peticiones familiares aprobadas con visas disponibles actualmente para presentar una solicitud I-601A para una exención provisional de presencia ilegal si su miembro de ciudadano de la familia inmediata de Estados Unidos sufriría “dificultad extrema” si no se les permitió regresar a los Estados Unidos. Si se aprueba la renuncia, que todavía se regresan a sus países para una entrevista de inmigración, pero el beneficio es que podían permanecer en los Estados Unidos, mientras que su petición de exención. El objetivo era hacer más eficiente el proceso y promover la unidad familiar.
Comenzando el 29 de agosto de 2016, el USCIS se ampliará el programa para incluir también a los miembros de la familia inmediata de residentes permanentes legales (titulares de tarjetas verdes).
estatus de protección temporal fue re-designado para Siria, Nicaragua, Honduras y El Salvador.
Otro cambio para mantener un ojo en es las limitaciones impuestas a los centroamericanos en la categoría de prioridad EB4. Esta categoría incluye a los solicitantes de Estatus Especial de Inmigrante Juvenil. Este es el primer año que se ha producido un límite impuesta a los solicitantes de América SIJS central probablemente una respuesta a la oleada en el último par de años de los menores en la frontera U.S./Mexico. El efecto de esto es que ahora, mientras que la petición de visa SIJS puede ser decidido, estos solicitantes tienen que esperar por su número de visa sea el actual con el fin de solicitar la tarjeta verde. Un aspecto negativo es que aquí los permisos de trabajo, que son necesarios para solicitar un número de seguro social y licencia de conducir en la mayoría de los estados, no estarán disponibles hasta el menor presenta una petición para una tarjeta verde (I-485).
Esperamos que todo el mundo disfruta el resto del verano!
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