Chicago Immigration Law Blog
Is Selective Service Required for Citizenship?
When a lawful permanent resident of the United States applies for naturalization, item 44 of part 12 of the N-400 form asks about the applicant’s registration with the selective service. Young men between the ages of 18-26 legally must register for the selective...
DACA Renewal: How to Navigate a Criminal Record
On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-to-4 decision, rejecting the Trump administration’s shut down of the DACA program. This Supreme Court decision provided a sigh of relief for Dreamers. The Court did not rule on the program itself, rather looked at...
Green Card Through Marriage Process 2020
You and your girlfriend have been dating for a while. You are thinking about getting married and starting a marriage-based green card case now. You wonder how to get your spouse a green card so that you can live together in the United States. What are the requirements...
How do I get TVDL in Illinois without a Social Security Number?
The Temporary Visitor Driver’s License (TVDL) is a document permitting foreign-born people without a social security number to drive in the state of Illinois. TVDLs are valid only for driving, not for identification (i.e.: one cannot use a TVDL to enter a plane or...
Are USCIS Offices Really Open Now after June 2020 Re-opening?
USCIS re-opening on June 4, 2020 was supposed to jumpstart stalled immigration cases. However, the reopening has shown disparate impacts on green card, naturalization, and H1B cases The first, in fact only, action taken by USCIS after the reopening was to gradually...
June 2020 Presidential Proclamation Suspending Entry of Nonimmigrant Visa Holders
On April 22, President Trump signed Presidential Proclamation 10014, “Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak.” It based its authority on sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the...
What happens with DACA now
After the Supreme Court's decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, many may wonder what happens with the program now. It was on hold waiting for this decision with no movement one way or the other. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,...
Anticipated Presidential Proclamation on Work Visa Ban
This is a developing story and will be updated. On April 22, President Trump signed Presidential Proclamation 10014, “Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak.” It is based on...
Supreme Court Prevents the Trump Administration from Ending DACA.
On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled to prevent the Trump Administration from ending DACA. This is a developing story, which will be updated. The Supreme Court decision protects roughly half a million DACA recipients (popularly referred as the “Dreamers”). These...
What are the employment based visa categories?
In the United States, there are approximately 140,000 immigrant visas available every year. With the right work experience and education, you can live permanently in the United States. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services explains that some visa...