Articles Posted in AskMyLawyer TV

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Did you know that if you are going through the green card process based on marriage to a U.S. Citizen in the United States, sometimes an immigration official from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may show up at your home unannounced. How often does this happen and how can you prepare?

We invite you to learn more about this important topic.

Overview

The USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) was established to combat and investigate immigration-related fraud including marriage fraud.  The FDNS also operates the Fraud Detection and National Security data system which tracks and manages cases which are under review for potential immigration fraud. Reports are generated by the FDNS data system and distributed to other government agencies for further investigation depending on the severity of the case, such as the Department of State (DOS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Surprise Home Visits: When do they happen and how do they happen?

Part of the responsibilities of the FDNS are to conduct site visits for both employment-based and family-sponsored immigration petitions. Most commonly, site visits are conducted at places of worship as part of the process to petition an R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker. Site visits are also frequently conducted at places of employment for H-1B workers. With respect to family-sponsored cases, the FDNS may conduct home visits in adjustment of status filings where marriage fraud is suspected.

This can happen in several different ways. In the most common scenario, the married couple has already been questioned at their in-person interview before a USCIS officer. In such instance, the immigration officer is not convinced by the responses provided by the couple during the interview and believes the marriage to be fraudulent. In some cases where marriage fraud is suspected, the couple is separated and questioned separately regarding facts about their relationship. At the conclusion of the interview, the officer may call upon FDNS to conduct an unannounced site visit at the couple’s home to confirm whether the information provided at the interview is authentic.

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Former President Donald J. Trump has launched his campaign for a second presidential term in 2024. His announcement creates important implications for immigration considering that he is likely to win the Republican nomination in the presidential race.

In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick tells you all you need to know about his contentious new immigration plan, ahead of the election.

Overview

It is no secret that during his presidential term Donald Trump took a hardline stance on immigration which led to restrictive immigration policies that impacted thousands of immigrants and nonimmigrants worldwide.

As part of his presidential campaign, Trump recently unveiled his immigration proposals, including new measures that would create further challenges for immigrants to obtain visas to the United States. If he were to be re-elected to the office of the President, such measures would be concerning for people everywhere.

What are some of Trump’s immigration proposals if he were re-elected in 2025?

Among Donald Trump’s immigration proposals, he seeks to prioritize securing the U.S. border to prevent illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico, as well as passing a host of controversial policies limiting legal immigration.

Getting Tough on the U.S. Mexico Border

  • Trump proposes a naval blockade by the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy to stop drug smuggling boats in U.S.-Latin America waters.
  • Drug cartels would be designated as “unlawful enemy combatants,” which would allow U.S. military intervention in Mexico.
  • Completion of the Southern border wall which was part of his immigration agenda as President

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Would you like to know how you can renew your U.S. visa in 2023? If so, then this video is right for you.

Overview

Your U.S. visa has expired and now it’s renewal time. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses the general process of applying to renew your U.S. visa in 2023 at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy overseas.

Please note that there are hundreds of different U.S. visa categories that have their own eligibility criteria and renewal requirements. The information provided here does not, and is not intended, to constitute legal advice. To obtain legal advice on your particular facts, case, or circumstances, please consult with a licensed immigration attorney.

For visa specific information and documentary requirements, applicants may contact their closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Visa Renewal Steps

Here are the main steps that any applicant must take when renewing their visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad.

Step One: Make sure that you qualify for your U.S. Visa Renewal

First and foremost, regardless of your visa type you must be prepared to provide documentary evidence to the Consular official to prove that you remain eligible for the renewal of your visa.

For example, if you are renewing a student visa you must provide your updated Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status to show that you remain eligible to study in the United States. If you are applying to renew your tourist visa, you must continue to demonstrate your eligibility such as proof of temporary stay, strong ties to your home country, proof of sufficient finances to cover your temporary stay, etc.

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If you are planning to study in the United States, you should be aware of the increasingly high rate of denials among F-1 and M-1 student visa applicants. If you are interested in learning more about this important topic, please keep on watching.

Overview

According to a new report released by several research institutions, the denial rates for student visas have increased dramatically in recent years. In this video, we will discuss why this has been happening and what you need to know if you are planning to study in the United States.

The report includes a statistical analysis covering a 7-year period from 2015 to 2022, which demonstrates an annual increase in the rate of denials with the greatest impact affecting F-1 student visa applicants. The regions with the highest rates of denial are reportedly Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

Africa bore the greatest share of denials, with a denial rate sitting at 54% in 2022. This figure is concerning because over half of all African student visas were denied, when compared to denial rates of just 36% for Asian students and 9% for European students. South America came in second place, with more than a 50% increase in F-1 visa denial rates when compared to a 10% denial rate in 2015 and 24% denial rate in 2022.

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Have you ever wondered what are the most common ways to get a green card to the United States? We’ve got you covered.

In this short video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick tells you the top sixteen ways you can get a green card to live and work in the United States.

The Top 16 Ways to get a Green Card with Jacob Sapochnick

Here are the top sixteen ways to get a green card

  1. Marriage to a United States Citizen is the one of the most common ways to obtain lawful permanent resident status. It is an option for those who have a bona fide marriage and entered the United States lawfully (unless they qualify for a special exemption in the law such as section 245i).
  • Adjustment of status is the process of applying for permanent residence while lawfully residing inside of the United States
  • Consular processing is the process of applying for an immigrant visa while residing outside of the United States

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Want to know why the immigrant visa backlog is still a big issue in 2023? Then you won’t want to miss this blog post, where attorney Jacob Sapochnick tells you all you need to know about the visa backlogs.

Overview

So, you’ve filed your green card application and now your case is stuck in the backlogs. In this video we discuss what the green card backlog is and why it is still happening in 2023.

What is a green card backlog?

A green card backlog occurs when there have been significant delays in the processing and approval of applications for adjustment of status to permanent residency (also known as green card applications filed with USCIS) and/or immigrant visa applications awaiting interview scheduling at U.S. Consulates and Embassies abroad.

While the backlog has always existed to some extent, mandatory quarantines and social distancing protocols occurring during the Coronavirus pandemic worsened delays in green card processing. Additionally, the annual numerical limits for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories limit the number of green cards that can be issued every year, therefore causing delays among millions of applicants who must wait for their “priority date” to become current on the Visa Bulletin, before becoming eligible to apply for their green card. For many of these categories, demand for visas far exceeds the number of available visas which causes a backlog of applicants waiting for their turn at the front of the line.

Furthermore, the Immigration and Nationality Act imposes a per-country limit on the number of green cards that can be issued by country of nationality. Therefore, applicants from countries that experience a high demand for visas such as India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines have much longer wait times when compared to other foreign nationals.

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Have you ever wondered what you need to do if your passport containing a U.S. visa inside is lost or stolen? We’ve got you covered. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains everything you need to know about this important topic.

Overview

So, you’ve successfully managed to pass your Consular interview, and now you’ve received your U.S. visa in your passport. Let’s imagine that you, like thousands before you, manage to lose your passport containing your U.S. visa inside, or have it stolen.

What should you do in this situation?

First and foremost, foreign nationals must remember that their passport and visa is an official travel document. You cannot enter the United States without having such documents in your possession to demonstrate your country of citizenship and legal status in the United States.

Before even falling into this predicament, foreign nationals should always make a copy of their passport biographic page, U.S. visa, and admission stamp or paper I-94 (if applicable) as soon as they have arrived in the United States.

Foreign nationals who have entered the United States temporarily on their valid visa, and later lose their passport, can remain in the U.S. for the duration of their authorized stay, as printed on their admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.

If you were issued a paper Form I-94 and it was lost or stolen, you must have it replaced immediately.

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In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick provides a brand-new update regarding the current Immigrant Visa backlogs for those currently going through Consular processing (waiting for an interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate overseas), as well as those with cases at the National Visa Center.

What you need to know is that from the period of June to July 2023, there has been nearly no movement in the Immigrant Visa backlog. At the same time, there has been a decrease in the number of people who were actually scheduled for Immigrant Visa interviews at U.S. Consulates and Embassies overseas from June to July as indicated in the figures below.

Therefore, while the backlog remains the same, more and more people are being scheduled for visa interviews.

If you want to know what you can expect moving forward, please keep on watching.

Did you Know? Every month the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) publishes an Immigrant Visa Backlog report, which provides data and statistics relating to the current status of worldwide visa operations, including the number of documentarily complete immigrant visa cases currently at the National Visa Center waiting for interviews, the number of cases that were scheduled for interviews at the end of each month, and the number of immigrant visa cases still waiting to be scheduled for a visa interview after interview appointment scheduling was completed at the end of each month

Overview

According to the National Visa Center’s Immigrant Visa Backlog Report for the month of July 2023, there has been a very modest increase in the immigrant visa (IV) backlog rising from 351,337 pending cases in June to 351,821 pending cases in July.

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Want to know all about the August 2023 Visa Bulletin? Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this video, we share with you the latest movement in the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories for the month of August.

There will be significant retrogression of the final action date in the EB-1 India preference category by 10 years and 1 month to January 1, 2012.

Additionally, a final action cutoff date for all countries in the EB-1 category, except China, will be imposed at August 1, 2023.

The EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers final action date will also retrogress by 1 year and 9 months to May 1, 2020, except for India which will remain at January 1, 2009, and China which will advance by 2 months to June 1, 2019.

In the family-sponsored categories, the dates for filing cutoff dates remain the same as the previous month, except F-1 Mexico which will advance by 2 years and 3 months to April 1, 2005, and F2B Mexico which will advance by 2 years and 4 months to August 1, 2004.

Here are some of the highlights of the August 2023 Visa Bulletin starting with the family-sponsored categories.

Employment-based categories Highlights

*Final Action cutoff dates – Retrogressions in August:

For employment-based preference categories, adjustment of status applicants must use the Final Action Dates chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for August 2023.

  • EB-1 India will retrogress by more than 10 years to January 1, 2012
  • EB-1 Worldwide, China:
    • The State Department has imposed a final action cutoff date for EB-1A Worldwide for all countries except China, at August 1, 2023.
    • The EB-1 China Final Action Date will remain at February 1, 2022.
  • EB-2 Worldwide, China:
    • EB-2 China will advance by one month, to July 8, 2019.
    • The Final Action Date for EB-2 India will remain at January 1, 2011.
    • The EB-2 Worldwide Final Action Date will advance by six weeks, to April 1, 2022, for all other countries.
  • EB-3:
    • The Final Action Date for EB-3 China Professional/Skilled Worker will advance by two months, to June 1, 2019.
    • EB-3 India Professional/Skilled Worker will remain at January 1, 2009.
    • For all other countries, the EB-3 Professional/Skilled Worker Final Action Date will retrogress by almost two years, to May 1, 2020.

Prediction: We predict that by October 2023 the EB-1 final action dates will advance significantly, depending on usage and on the FY 2024 annual numerical limit which will reset in October (the start of the fiscal year).

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In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains how you can apply for an F-1, J-1, or M-1 international student visa in 2023 in 10 easy steps.

In 2022 we saw a significant rebound in the number of international students applying for visas to study in the United States with over 1.3 million students coming to the United States from 227 countries.

Overview

Essentially there are 3 types of student visas: the F-1 visa for academic students, J-1 visa for exchange visitors, and M-1 visa for vocational students. We discuss each of these visa categories in turn down below.

F-1 Visa for Academic Students

The F-1 nonimmigrant visa category allows you to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. You must be enrolled in a program or course of study that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate and your school must be authorized by the U.S. government to accept international students.

J-1 Visa for Exchange Visitors

The J non-immigrant visa category is for individuals approved to participate in work-and study-based exchange visitor programs. Such programs may be for the purpose of teaching, instructing, or lecturing, studying, observing, conducting research, consulting, demonstrating special skills, receiving training, or to receive graduate medical education or training.

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