Category: Uncategorized

What are the consequences for immigration law of Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States? The Trump administration’s legacy will have been to reduce legal immigration by up to 49% – without any change to the Immigration and Nationality Act but instead through hundreds of regulatory and sub-regulatory actions. The administration has strived,…

Inexplicably, USCIS has removed from its website contact information for its field offices. If you go to the Find a USCIS Office page, there is still a link for Field Offices, but that page no longer lists contact information. But contact information can still be found in an archived version of this webpage from May…

Before departing the U.S., certain noncitizens must obtain from IRS a certificate of compliance. This document is also popularly known as a “sailing permit” or “departure permit.” One of two forms is filed with IRS: Form 1040C, U.S. Departing Alien Income Tax Return: This form is used by persons leaving the U.S. to report both…

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Reuters reports that yesterday, a federal judge ruled that U.S. border agents need “reasonable suspicion” but not a warrant to search travelers’ smartphones and laptops at airports and other U.S. ports of entry. The ruling sets a higher standard than the one CBP agents must apply to conduct routine searches of electronic devices under current…

Shanghai Daily reports that foreigners and persons from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan arriving in Shanghai can now complete the temporary residence registration (临时住宿登记) process online instead of going to the police in person.

On August 14, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule related to public charge in the Federal Register. The rule was set to take effect on October 15, 2019, but is currently tied up in litigation. The rule will not apply to immigration applications filed before it takes effect.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Sept. 25 the arrest of Ji Chaoqun on the charge that he was as an agent of the Chinese government acting in the U.S. without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports that Li Dongyuan has entered a plea of guilty on charges that she ran a birth tourism scheme. The agency’s full press release follows:

A technical glitch is impacting persons whose last tax return had a foreign address. They are unable to create an IRS online account, and so are unable to use Get Transcript Online.

Aug. 9 Update: USCIS announced in a news release today that they have cancelled plans to close operations at 7 international field offices: Beijing, Guangzhou, Nairobi, New Delhi, Mexico City, San Salvador, and Guatemala City. The news release calls these operations “cost-effective and high value”: they will continue to “adjudicate complex immigration petitions that require…

Are you a U.S. citizen or permanent resident married to a spouse living overseas? Maybe you are living overseas together, or maybe you are in the U.S. waiting for your spouse to immigrate.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ processing of Forms I-751, Petitions to Remove Conditional Resident Status is in a state of disarray. Sandra Feist writes for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that USCIS has been adding new procedural delays and hurdles to I-751s, like brick after brick in an “invisible wall” making life difficult for…

Happy Lunar New Year! The U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in China will be closed Feb. 4 to 7. Chodorow Law Offices will be closed for the official holiday, Feb. 4 to 10.