Headlines: 1. Rhetoric on Support for Science Doesn’t Match Reality of Appropriations – The appropriations bill signed into law in December included meager funding for advances in scientific research rather than the more substantial increases that had been expected. 2. Department of State To Begin Issuing Passport Cards – The final rule provides for a […]

by Cyrus D. Mehta* A. Introduction In an era of heightened enforcement against noncitizens, naturalization offers a number of important benefits such as the right to vote and also immunity against deportation. While naturalization appears to be a relatively simple process, it also has many pitfalls. The attorney must carefully evaluate the client’s eligibility for […]

by Adam Ketcher* Recently, the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association announced that during a meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, he indicated U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have re-examined their existing name check system and developed strategies to process security clearances more quickly.1 Secretary Chertoff confirmed […]

by Cyrus D. Mehta * As hundreds of thousands of would be immigrants filed adjustment of status applications during the window between July 17, 2007 and August 17, 2007, it is unlikely that cut-off dates in the Employment-based Second (EB-2) and Third Preferences (EB-3) will advance very rapidly. For instance, the State Department Visa Bulletin […]

Headlines: 1. Backlogged Immigration Cases ‘Could Take Years’ to Process, USCIS Says; No Forward Movement of Cut-Off Dates – USCIS faces huge backlogs because of fee changes combined with confusion over the cut-off date for employment-based applications. 2. Talent Pool Increasingly Global: EU Blue Cards Proposed, Migrant Policy Web Site Launched – Will the European […]

by Mark Ivener * and Cyrus D. Mehta** For foreign investors looking for freedom and flexibility to live and work in the United States in a way accommodating to their lifestyles, the little-known EB-5 investor category can provide an excellent opportunity to accomplish this goal through the obtaining of Green Cards. There are essentially two […]

In the event of a conflict between two parties represented simultaneously by one attorney in a single matter, the attorney is generally required to withdraw from the representation of both clients. Reproduced is an article published in 12 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 1147 (Aug. 15, 2007) – COUNTERPOINT: ETHICALLY HANDLING CONFLICTS BETWEEN TWO CLIENTS THROUGH THE […]

by Cyrus D. Mehta * Although comprehensive immigration reform went down in flames earlier in the summer of 2007, there is hope that smaller measures could get passed in Congress. On September 20, 2007, Senator Durbin offered an amendment to the military authorization bill (H.R. 1585), which would introduce the DREAM Act (S.A. 2919). This […]

by Cyrus D. Mehta * Interesting issues arise under US immigration and nationality law when a child is born through in vitro fertilization (IVF). According to Wikipedia, IVF is a technique in which the egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the woman’s womb. The process involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova from […]

by Adam Ketcher* This firm regularly posts articles that highlight and explain administrative and judicial decisions that affect the immigration status or pending applications of our clients. Two such matters that are of primary significance to our clients are job “portability” under section 204(j) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), and the one-year filing […]