Catherine Brown - Immigration Blog

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How To Keep Your Green Card Status in Tact

For some it took a long time, lots of effort and/or money to finally obtain the “green card” or permanent residence. Now that you have a green card, what can happen to your status? Nothing? WRONG. Lots of things that … Continue reading →

New Global Entry Program : How Some International Travelers Can Expedite Entry into The U.S.

Travelers entering the United States have generally faced long waits in immigration and customs lines. Thanks to a new Global Entry program administered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, certain pre-approved travelers can now clear customs quickly. Trusted … Continue reading →

USCIS Updates on New Provisional Waivers and Centralization for I601s

Here are some updates based on Pilar Peralta Mihalko, Branch Chief International Operations Division, International, who spoke at the American Immigration Lawyers Association Texas Chapter Conference in Albuquerque New Mexico on April 13, 2012: Centralization of all I-601s Underway USCIS … Continue reading →

USCIS Comes out with Provisional Family Waiver Details

On March 30, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register to create an alternative process for certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens to apply for and receive a provisional … Continue reading →

Traveling on the Visa Waiver?: The Nuts and Bolts of ESTA

What Is ESTA and How Does it Work? ESTA – the Electronic System for Travel Authorization – is a security enhancement system for those coming from Visa Waiver countries to determine eligibility to enter the United States prior to showing … Continue reading →

Big News on I601 “Extreme Hardship” Waiver or Pardon: Some Are Moving Stateside

On January 12, 2012, the US Department of Homeland Security announced a proposed changed in a regulation governing the process for I601 “extreme hardship” waivers or “pardons” as they are referred to sometimes. This proposed change is HUGE and positive, … Continue reading →

Denver Colorado in the Pilot Test to Stop Deportation Proceedings Against Certain Immigrants

Ask any Colorado immigration lawyer about the backlog of deportation cases in Colorado and nationwide currently on the dockets, and it becomes clear that the courts are overwhelmed. In an effort to streamline the deportation case reviews, and also to … Continue reading →

H-1B Season to Begin in April: What Is It and Are You Ready?

Each year on April 1st, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service begins accepting petitions for H1B work visas for the upcoming fiscal year (Oct 1 2011/Sept 30 2012). A new season is rapidly approaching, and only a limited number of … Continue reading →

H-1B Cap Update (Again and Last One for Awhile)

My last post on the H-1B cap hitting in the next 3 weeks was a bit off as the cap was hit instead on November 22,2011 when USCIS notified us that any additional applications filed would be rejected after this … Continue reading →

H-1B Cap Update

The H-1B cap on November 14, 2011 was updated by USCIS. The number of H-1B petitions in line is nearing the limited cap – 20,000 for those who have obtained an advanced degree in the US and 65, 000 for … Continue reading →