Enterline & Partners Consulting | info@enterlinepartners.com

Search
Close this search box.

Changes in Immigration Policy

A series of small moves concerning the Trump Administration’s immigration policy have recently been undertaken.

CNN reports the following actions made by the administration:

  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions has issued a Decision directing the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to refer cases for his review when such cases have issues relating to when there is “good cause” to grant a continuance for a collateral matter to be adjudicated. Under this Decision, the BIA’s decisions on the matter are automatically stayed pending the Attorney General’s review.
  • The Commerce Department announced that it will include on the 2020 Census a question about U.S. citizenship.
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new directive wherein immigration officers will no longer automatically release pregnant women from immigration custody but will instead require a case-by-case evaluation.
  • The State Department proposed that visas applicants and alien registration be required to submit five years of identifiers for certain social media platforms. Previously, visa applicants were required to submit prior telephone numbers, email addresses, and international travel.
  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the White House is reviewing a proposal requiring immigration caseworkers to consider a wider range of factors to determine whether an applicant is likely to become dependent on public assistance. The proposal seeks to expand the term “public charge” as used in the Immigration and Nationality Act and to define the types of public benefits that are considered in the determinations. U.S. Law authorizes the rejection of immigrants if they are likely to become a “public charge.”
  • The Department of Justice and the City of West Spring Palm Beach announced that it has reached an agreement regarding West Palm Beach’s Resolution Number 112-17. The City agreed to issue a memorandum stating its position that its local laws do not restrict information sharing with the DHS.

Immigration lawyers say that the greater scrutiny of visa applications have slowed down the process and have set the bar higher for long standing categories of visas.

CATEGORY
time
recent posts
CTA_Collection

Over 18,000 successful customers with Enterline &
Partners, realizing the dream of immigration

Latest News

Federal Judge Strikes Down Parole-in-Place Program

A U.S. Federal Court Judge has struck down Parole-in-Place following an earlier decision granting the State of Texas and fifteen (15) other states an administrative stay two months ago. Judge J. Campbell Barker of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that the program, which would fast-track permanent residency to certain undocumented immigrants to obtain lawful permanent residents who are spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens, “exceeded its statutory authority and is not in accordance with the law.”  Judge Barker further added that the program “focuses on the wrong thing, in identifying ‘significant public benefits’- the benefits of aliens’ new legal status – rather than their presence in the country.”  At the time of publishing this article, it is unclear whether the Biden Administration will appeal Judge Barker’s ruling.  For more information on this ruling, please contact us at info@enterlinepartners.com. ENTERLINE & PARTNERS CONSULTING    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Office    146C7

Read more >

What is a K-3 Nonimmigrant visa?

A K-3 visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows a foreign spouse of a U.S. citizen to enter the United States while their Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (“I-130 Petition”) is undergoing adjudication with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). The goal of a K-3 is to shorten the time that a foreign spouse is separated from his or her U.S. citizen spouse during the immigration process. The K-3 visa is specifically for foreign spouses of U.S. citizens who have already filed their I-130 Petition but have not received an approval. In order to file for a K-3 visa, the U.S. citizen spouse must first file an I-130 Petition with USCIS. Afterwards, the U.S. citizen spouse files a Form I-129F Petition for Alien fiancé(e). (“I-129F Petition”) with supplemental documentation.  If the I-129F Petition is approved before the I-130 Petition, the foreign spouse can consular process for a

Read more >

Can I send my Absentee Ballot to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the Upcoming Presidential Election?

We have previously discussed who is eligible to vote in U.S. elections and how American citizens abroad (i.e. Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan) can send their ballots by mail or use designated dropboxes to vote for their presidential and state and local candidates. U.S. citizens who are unable to physically drop off their ballots at certain locations in Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan may also mail their ballots directly to the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, the U.S. Embassy in Manila, or the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei at the following addresses: U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh CityAmerican Citizen Services Unit4 Le Duan Blvd. District 1Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam U.S. Embassy ManilaAmerican Citizen Services Unit1201 Roxas Blvd.Manila, Philippines 1000 American Institute of TaiwanAmerican Citizen Services Unit100 Jinhu Road Neihu DistrictTaipei, Taiwan 114017 When sending sealed ballots to the addresses above, registered voters will need two envelopes.

Read more >