Welcome to the Garfinkel Immigration news roundup, where every month we will summarize and provide links to the latest stories impacting U.S. immigration.
Below is the June 2024 edition of the Garfinkel Immigration news roundup:
President Biden announces major initiatives for certain undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, ‘Dreamers’
President Joe Biden announced a pair of key immigration initiatives in mid-June which could have major positive impacts for applicable foreign nationals.
The first policy allows certain undocumented individuals who are married to U.S. citizens, as well as their children, to apply for legal permanent residency via “Parole in Place,” while the second creates a pathway for “DACA recipients and other Dreamers” to “more quickly receive work visas.”
“(President Biden) believes in expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country,” the White House wrote in a fact sheet about the new policies shortly after they were released.
It is important to note that information on these programs is currently very limited. Key details have not yet been released, including exact eligibility, application procedures, and timeline.
There are no forms or applications to file pursuant to this program at this time. It is anticipated that program implementation may not be until later this summer, or thereafter.
Read the full story here and learn more about how to proactively prepare for the application process here.
Tips for the naturalization process
Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm published its newest white paper earlier this month.
In the paper, Senior Associate Attorney Catherine Magennis provides tips for those considering beginning the naturalization process.
“Green card holders who are eligible and interested in becoming a U.S. citizen should start the process as soon as possible,” Magennis writes. “After submitting the application, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will schedule an interview with the applicant, followed by an examination and oath ceremony. This process can take several months or even up to a year, so it is important to account time for each of these steps and any government processing or scheduling delays.”
Read the full white paper here.
Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm and Partners honored in prestigious 2024 Chambers USA guide
Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm as well as Founder Steven H. Garfinkel and Managing Partner Hannah F. Little have all once again been ranked in the 2024 edition of the prestigious and highly selective Chambers USA.
The Firm received a top-level Band 1 designation in the publication’s Immigration in North Carolina Legal Rankings, while Little also received individual Band 1 recognition. Garfinkel, meanwhile, was honored with the esteemed “Senior Statesperson” title.
Chambers identifies the best law firms across the world and is often considered the gold-standard of legal honors because of its comprehensive research process and stringent selection criteria. The organization conducts “thousands of in-depth interviews” a year with in-house counsel, clients and third-party experts.
Firm and attorney rankings are based on seven factors which include technical legal ability; professional conduct; client service; commercial astuteness; diligence; commitment; and “other qualities most valued” by clients.
Firms and attorneys who are ranked in Chambers have “stood out in the most rigorous, independent and in-depth research process of any legal directory on the market and emerged as one of the best” in their practice area.
Biden rolls out asylum restrictions
President Biden also issued an executive order earlier this month which placed “significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.”
The order takes effect when “the number of border encounters between ports of entry hits 2,500 per day,” according to an analysis of the executive order from the Associated Press.
“Once this order is in effect, migrants who arrive at the border but do not express fear of returning to their home countries will be subject to immediate removal from the United States, within a matter of days or even hours,” the AP story read. “Those migrants could face punishments that could include a five-year bar from reentering the U.S. or even criminal prosecution.”
The story continued: “Meanwhile, anyone who expresses that fear or an intention to seek asylum will be screened by a U.S. asylum officer but at a higher standard than currently used. If they pass the screening, they can pursue more limited forms of humanitarian protection, including the U.N. Convention Against Torture.”
The ACLU and other immigration advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to block the executive order shortly after it was released.
Find out more via the Associated Press here.
DHS, USCIS urged to protect green card applicants and their children
A bipartisan group of senators and congress people have called on the Biden administration to “take administrative action to protect the children of green card applicants,” according to an article published by Forbes earlier this month.
“Children of professionals waiting in the employment-based green card backlog may need to leave the country if they turn 21 before their parents obtain permanent residence,” the article read. “Congress has not passed legislation providing legal status or green cards to young people who might ‘age out’ because of the per-country limit and the low annual number of employment-based immigrant visas.”
The bipartisan group requested three specific policy changes, according to Forbes, which included:
- Clarifying “the applicability of potential grants of deferred action on a case-by-case basis, where discretion is warranted, for children of long-term visa holders who age out of status.”
- Expanding employment authorization eligibility to “child dependents of visa holders.”
- Creating “a process to allow children of long-term visa holders who have aged out to seek parole.”
Read the full Forbes article here.
Here’s what to know about the U.S. team’s Cinderella run at the Cricket T20 World Cup
This story from NPR details the United States national cricket team’s historic run in the T20 World Cup. The team is mostly comprised of immigrants.
“The U.S. team has many players who were born overseas and have since moved to the U.S. to make their homes here,” the story read. “Among the nationalities: India, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand. The team’s coach, Stuart Law, is from Australia, and its captain, Aaron Jones, was born in Queens to immigrants from Barbados.”
The team’s star player, Saurabh Netravalkar, was born in India, according to NPR.
“In 2015, (Netravalkar) decided to pursue software engineering and moved to the U.S. for graduate school,” the story read. “Now, with a full-time job, he trains during the evenings and weekends, and his employer, the tech company Oracle, allows him to take leave to pursue his cricket career, he said.”