USCIS moved most pending I-130 petitions to field offices in 2026. What a long wait means, what you can do, and when a mandamus lawsuit makes sense.

Starting October 2026, SIJS youth with a priority date before January 1, 2025 may file Form I-485. What changed, what did not, and what to do if you are in immigration court.

Since the middle of September, many of our clients have received a one page letter from USCIS with the subject line "FBI Privacy Requirements for Biometrics Collection by USCIS," and we have been getting a lot of calls about it. Seeing "FBI" on a letter from immigration is unsettling, especially when your case is pending and you have done nothing wrong. The short answer: you do not need to do anything, but you should keep the notice. What Does the Notice Say? 1. No action is

If you have been checking your case status every morning and seeing the same words for a year or more, you already know what this post is about. A pending immigration case is not usually a case under review. Most of the time, it is a file that has not been assigned to anyone. In 2026 the waits have grown across almost every category, and USCIS has said publicly that it has strengthened its screening and vetting of applications. Whatever the cause in any one case, the result o

In July we explained the new public charge rule that takes effect on September 18, 2026. USCIS has now released the forms that put that rule into practice, and we have been getting questions about them at our office. The sponsor's Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) changed on August 31, 2026. The green card application (Form I-485) changes on September 18, 2026. The changes are easy to miss. One paragraph was added to the sponsor form. Two questions on the green card applicati

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a major decision that changes the rules for people who travel outside the United States with advance parole. The decision, called Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, overturns a rule that had been in place since 2012. News about this decision is spreading quickly on social media, and many clients have already been calling and messaging our office with questions. Some of what is circulating online is accurate, and some is

Over the past several weeks, our office has received an increasing number of questions from clients and community members about domestic travel within the United States, and many of them are asking the same thing: is it still safe to fly within the U.S.? It's an understandable concern. There have been recent reports of individuals being detained by immigration authorities at U.S. airports while traveling domestically, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) ha

A new public charge rule takes effect September 18, 2026, expanding which benefits USCIS can consider in green card cases. Here is what changes, what does not change, and what to keep in mind.

USCIS is issuing Amended Approval Notices denying deferred action to SIJS youth approved on or after June 6, 2025. Here is what the notices mean, the three dates that matter, and why the pending Second Circuit appeal offers hope.

Eighteen months ago, we published a blog post explaining a new executive order titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," which President Trump signed on his first day back in office in January 2025. That order sought to end automatic citizenship for many children born on U.S. soil — specifically, children whose parents were undocumented or in the country on temporary visas. We told you then that the order would face immediate and serious legal challen

Since USCIS released its new Adjustment of Status policy memorandum last Friday, our office has received a very large number of questions regarding marriage-based green cards, pending I-485 applications, DACA, Advance Parole, and whether green cards inside the United States are still possible. At this stage, one of the most important things to be careful about is misinformation. There are already many exaggerated claims online suggesting that marriage green cards have been el

Update: For answers to the most common questions about this memo, see our FAQ. Today, USCIS released a new policy memorandum emphasizing that Adjustment of Status (AOS) is a discretionary form of relief and an “extraordinary” benefit that allows applicants to avoid the ordinary immigrant visa process through a U.S. consulate abroad. Since the announcement, we have already received many questions and concerns from clients and community members, so we wanted to provide an initi

On January 14, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an interim final rule that fundamentally changes the residency requirements for R-1 nonimmigrant religious workers. This update removes the long-standing obligation for workers to reside outside the United States for a full year after reaching their maximum period of stay. What has changed? The most significant shift is the removal of the mandatory "one-year gap" between R-1 periods. No Minimum Wa

The Nightmare Scenario Maria and David were married and living in the U.S. They'd filed for her green card through marriage. After months of waiting, they attended their USCIS interview together. It went well. The officer was satisfied. Now they just had to wait for the final approval. Then David died suddenly. Just like that, everything changed. The petition was in his name. The interview was based on their marriage. And now he was gone. Maria faced an impossible question: D

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