President Donald Trump won't immediately dismantle the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative that former President Barack Obama instituted via executive action in 2012, the new administration has indicated, despite fiery promises otherwise from the campaign trail.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at a press briefing on Monday de-emphasized DACA as an action item, dodging a question about when the president might make a change, but saying Trump will “prioritize

During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump called Mexican immigrants "criminals" and vowed to build a border wall, rescind the Obama Administration's DACA and DAPA initiatives, and "mass deport" millions of undocumented immigrants. Below are answers to common questions about what a Trump presidency might mean for immigrants.

I am undocumented/ have documented family members. Will be immediately deported?
No. We do not know at this time what approach the Trump Administration will take

What Immigrant Families Should Do Now:

1. Talk to an immigration services provider about your immigration options.
   
   • Talk to a qualified immigration lawyer or a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)- accredited representative.
2. Make a child care and family preparedness plan.
3. Figure out which documents you should and should not carry with you.
   
   • Always carry with you telephone number of an immigration lawyer, advocate or nonprofit immigration legal services provider you will call in an emergency.
   • Do not

DACA Renewal

It is unknown whether the next Administration will terminate existing DACA grants or instead not allow DACA recipient to renew.

Those who have already received DACA are known by the government. Therefore, renewing DACA does not carry a new risk.

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I already have DACA and am deciding whether to apply to renew it. Should I submit my renewal application?
If you already have DACA, immigration authorities already have the information on your

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Advance Parole - Permission to travel
At this point, advance parole may be a little bit harder to get, because processing time is three months or more, which would put approvals and subsequent travel in February 2017.

I have DACA and was planning to take a trip outside the States. Should I still go?
If you have DACA and want to continue to living in the U.S., you should never travel abroad unless you have applied for and received advance parole

Residents in California that have DACA are eligible to apply for either a standard Class C license or an AB 60 driver's license. An AB 60 driver's license is a type of license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) to any California resident who is eligible, regardless of immigration status.

If your DACA expires before USCIS processes your renewal or the program ends, the status will depend on what type of license you have.

• AB 60 license: It will not be affected by a change in your

During his campaign, Trump said that he intends to end the DACA program. We will not know until after January 20, when the new Trump administration takes power what his administration's officials might do with the information that DACA applicants have submitted on their application.

Currently I do not have DACA, but I think I am eligible. Should I apply for it ?
If you do not currently have DACA,we recommend that you do not do so at this time. We recommend not submitting a first- time application

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today published a final rule to improve the ability of certain promising start-up founders to begin growing their companies within the United States and help improve our nation’s economy through increased capital spending, innovation and job creation.

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Under this final rule, DHS may use its "parole" authority to grant a period of authorized stay, on a case-by-case basis, to foreign entrepreneurs who

Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this (very time-sensitive for some) opportunity to file I-485 applications. We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

We also invite you to contact us if our office can be of any assistance in your immigration matters or you have any questions or comments about the February 2017 Visa Bulletin.

Visa Bulletin For February 2017

When entering by air, Canadians, like all travelers, are issued electronic I-94 cards. To determine the duration of the authorized period, check the CBP I-94 website. At land ports of entry, I-94 cards are not typically issued. Many Canadian visitors do not know they have been issued an I-94, or they assume that they have been admitted for six months and do not check their I-94 or the CBP website to verify their period of admission.

Please download your I-94 form on every new entry to the U.S.

Matter of T-O-S-U- clarifies that, for purposes of 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(4)(viii)(C) (2016), a “physician of national or international renown” is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is widely acclaimed and highly honored in the field of medicine within one or more countries, so long as the achievements leading to national renown are comparable to that which would result in national renown in the United States. The decision also suggests, but does not mandate, what types of evidence may

We have been receiving reports that USCIS is issuing problematic RFEs for EB-1A/B I-140 petitions, requesting information previously not required or evidence already provided. These requests include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Evidence of Extraordinary Ability
2. Evidence of Outstanding Research
3. Evidence of Ability to Pay

We also have been made aware of some potential problems with O-1 petitions filed with the Vermont Service Center. Specifically, an increased number of problematic RFEs

Starting on Jan. 4, 2017, we will post processing times using a specific date format rather than weeks or months. This is the first step in providing processing times that are timelier and easier to understand.


USCIS posts case processing times on our website as a guide for when to inquire (service request) about a pending case. For the last several years, USCIS has posted case processing times using two different formats:

• For cases that were within

On December 23, 2016, USCIS posted a large number of new form versions with effective dates of December 23, 2016, to its website and indicated that no other versions of the forms would be accepted

After considerable pressure from AILA and other stakeholders, USCIS announced on December 29, 2016, that it will accept prior versions of forms that were revised on December 23, 2016, until February 21, 2017.

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When new fees for most of the USCIS

USCIS may grant a national interest waiver if the petitioner demonstrates: (1) that the foreign national’s proposed endeavor has both substantial merit and national importance; (2) that he or she is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor; and (3) that, on balance, it would be beneficial to the United States to waive the requirement of a job offer and thus of a labor certification.

Today the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Jonson, has designated as precedential the

Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this (very time-sensitive for some) opportunity to file I-485 applications. We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

We also invite you to contact us if our office can be of any assistance in your immigration matters or you have any questions or comments about the January 2017 Visa Bulletin.

DATES FOR FILING OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA APPLICATIONS
The chart below

There are many applicants across the family categories who can now process their (and their family members’) I-485 Adjustment of Status applications from within the U.S. or process their immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this (very time-sensitive for some) opportunity to file I-485 applications. We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

We also invite you to

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 The time the I-601A waiver is processing with USCIS does not count against the one year rule.
 USCIS notifies NVC that an I-601A waiver has been filed. NVC relies on this communication from
USCIS, not on communication from attorneys/applicants about the I-601A.
 NVC won't schedule an interview until the I-601A waiver is approved. However, if the applicant
provides NVC with all documents while the I-601A waiver is pending, and USCIS notifies

Calling all lawyers...nominate your peers in private practice whom you admire and respect for the Best of the Bar, a publication of the San Diego Business Journal.

1. Nominate ethical and skilled lawyers to whom you would refer clients.
2. Lawyers cannot nominate themselves,
3. Lawyers cannot make the list based solely on same-firm votes.
4. Out-of-firm votes are weighted ore heavily than in-firm votes.
5. When making in-firm nominations lawyers also must nominate an equal or greater number of lawyers from