About Ali

This author Ali has created 157 entries.

USCIS Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension

Employment Authorization
Jun08

Even after 2020, the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic are still lingering today. Businesses have shut down, employers are understaffed, and the lasting mental toll of quarantine is still being felt. Not only has the pandemic affected our everyday lives, but it has also exacerbated many problems, such as the USCIS’s processing times and backlogs.  Back in 2019, the USCIS faced a major financial crisis that reduced the ability to complete caseloads. The USCIS which was “running at a revenue loss”, and left to deal with “continuing backlogs and lengthening process times” was left weakened in 2020 when

June 8, 2022
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USCIS expands the Premium Processing Time Option

USCIS
Jun08

If the USCIS is notorious for anything, it’s the long and extraneous processing times. With processing times reaching all-time highs within the fiscal year, applicants were left wondering about when their cases were going to be reviewed, if at all.    On March 29th, 2022, applicants were relieved to find out about the USCIS’s efforts to speed up processing times and expand premium processing options to Immigrant applicants. The USCIS announced that in an effort to reduce backlogs it would expand premium processing options to include a broader range of case types, and would expedite the decision time through

June 8, 2022
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Do lawyers have an ethical obligation to be vaccinated against Covid19?

Mar29

By Taher Kameli   The COVID19 crisis has dramatically shaken all the markets. Yet, we – lawyers and law firms – have responded quickly while effectively serving our clients and maintaining our practices. Probably you have heard about companies constantly reviewing and revising their COVID 19 guidelines as the pandemic continues. As a result, many employers may wonder what to do if a worker refuses to be vaccinated. Some consequences have been dismissals or unpaid leave. Some employers have already issued vaccination mandates. President Biden has instructed OSHA to enact rules that require vaccinations or weekly tests for employers

March 29, 2022
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SEC: Possible changes to private funds

Mar28

By Taher Kameli     The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been very busy in recent weeks, as a series of rules have been announced as part of their 2022 agenda. These include areas such as cybersecurity, risk management, more reporting under Form PF, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures, beneficial proposed changes in ownership regulations, and new reporting under short-term sales rules are included.   The SEC will also make significant changes to the Investment Adviser Act of 1940, which could affect the day-to-day operations of almost all private fund advisors, including those who are exempt from registration. The proposed rules are: Specific

March 28, 2022
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SEC vs Seyed Taher Kameli: final decision on EB-5 case

Feb25

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Seyed Taher Kameli On January 24, 2022, Seyed Taher Kameli, without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations of fraud, agreed to the entry of a final judgment in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois. As summarized in the SEC’s press release, the second amended complaint,  filed in May 2019, alleged the following facts: “Kameli and his companies, Defendants Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group, LLC and American Enterprise Pioneers, Inc. (“Defendants”), claimed to at least 226 foreign investors that each of their

February 25, 2022
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DACA: Under Constant Threat

Aug13

By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri   In 2012, then-President Barack Obama provided a crucial piece of legal protection for residents who unlawfully arrived in the United States as children in the form of the policy known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.[1] By executive action, the president provided these residents (or “Dreamers”) a two-year shield from deportation despite not having citizenship or lawful permanent residence.[2] Under the DACA policy, these residents are able to obtain work permits, health insurance offered by employers, afford an education, and pursue higher education.[3] Depending on the state, Dreamers

August 13, 2021
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The Potential Benefits of Assistive Technology on Special Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jul29

By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri   The switch to virtual learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a process of adjustment for most grade-school students. Yet the challenge has been particularly acute for students with special needs.[1] Given the particular demands of the disabilities involved, the difficulty of providing specialized instruction via virtual schooling and the challenging priorities of parents under the stress of the pandemic (particularly if they are of lower income), grade school students with special needs are left at a disadvantage as their specialized form of instruction may not be effectively conveyed via virtual learning

July 29, 2021
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Senate Bill 667 Sent to Governor Pritzker Would Improve Trust Between Undocumented Immigrants and Local Law Enforcement

Jul20

By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri     The Illinois legislature has forwarded a bill to Governor J.B. Pritzker that, if passed, would go far in strengthening trust between Illinois law enforcement and immigrant communities. The bill, known as Senate Bill 667, or, the Way Forward Act, restricts local law enforcement from working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and close immigrant detainment centers across Illinois.[1] Proponents of the Way Forward Act argue that the bill would improve trust between immigrants and the police so that there would be better cooperation between the two to help detect and deter crimes, without

July 20, 2021
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Biden Administration Gives Much Needed Legal Protection to Undocumented Crime Victims with a Sped-Up U-Visa Application Process

Jul14

By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri   In a move that is sure to be welcomed by many in both the immigrant community and law enforcement, the Biden administration has decided as of June 14, 2021 to speed up the process of granting U-Visas some undocumented immigrants who are victims of crime.[1] Under the new policy, the Biden administration will expand access to work permits and deportation relief to certain immigrant victims of crime with pending visa applications.[2]   Typically, the Government is only permitted to issue 10,000 U-Visas a year, with the rest of the U-Visa applicants being left on a

July 14, 2021
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Supreme Court Jeopardizes Thousands of Migrants with Temporary Protected Status in Its Ruling in Sanchez v. Mayorkas

Jul07

By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri   On June 7, 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that unlawful migrants in the United States whose presence was permitted by having Temporary Protected Status (TPS) were not eligible to apply for green cards to become lawful permanent residents.[1] This ruling followed a case involving Jose Santos Sanchez and his wife, who had arrived in the US unlawfully during the late 1990s and both of whom were granted Temporary Protected Status after the 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador, when the US made El Salvadorian nationals eligible for that status.[2] In 2014, Jose Santos

July 7, 2021
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