Federal Court Victory for Abused, Abandoned Or Neglected Migrant Children

Victory for Migrant Children Abused, Abandoned, or Neglected
May08

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. When you think of abused, abandoned or neglected migrant children, you probably feel some sense of humanitarian concern.  Unfortunately, it is fair to say that the Trump administration does not issue immigration policies that prioritize such concern.  Consistent with its general intention to prevent immigration to the US, the Trump administration recently acted to deny immigration rights to certain abused, abandoned or neglected migrant children.  However, on March 15, a Federal District Court Judge ruled against this Trump administration policy and in favor of the immigration rights of certain abused, abandoned

May 8, 2019
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Trump Administration’s Plan to Close USCIS Overseas Offices Will Create More Backlogs

Trump Plan to Close USCIS Overseas Offices Causes Backlogs
May03

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq.  If you live in a foreign country and have had an issue under the US immigration laws, have you ever used the services of a local office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in your foreign country?  This local USCIS office may have helped you with a family visa request, an international adoption, a refugee application, or some other matter. Unfortunately, this convenient and accessible support in your foreign country will no longer be available to you under a recent plan announced by the Trump administration. Last

May 3, 2019
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American Bar Association Proposes Major Overhaul of U.S. Immigration System

American Bar Association Major Overhaul of U.S. Immigration
Apr04

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Would it surprise you if someone said that there are issues with immigration in the United States?  Probably not, but when the US immigration system is criticized in strong words by one of our leading lawyer associations, you probably should take notice.  Thus, a March 2019 American Bar Association (ABA) report proposing a major overhaul of the US immigration system deserves our attention. The ABA report, entitled “REFORMING THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM Proposals to Promote Independence, Fairness, Efficiency, and Professionalism in the Adjudication of Removal Cases”, is an update to a similar report issued by the ABA in

April 4, 2019
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DACA Flight Attendant Detained For More Than A Month From Re-Entering United States

DACA Flight Attendant Detained For More Than A Month U.S.
Apr01

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Selene Saavedra Roman has lived in the United States for 25 years (since she was 3), is a graduate of Texas A&M, is married to a US citizen, has no criminal record, is trying to obtain permanent resident status, and left the US for purposes of her job as a flight attendant.  Does it seem reasonable to detain a person such as Ms. Roman from re-entering the US when she returns to the US in connection with her job?  While the answer to this question should be no, unfortunately, because Ms. Roman’s US immigration rights are

April 1, 2019
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Writs of Mandamus: Bringing Consular Officers into Compliance with Law

Writs of Mandamus Bringing Officers into Compliance with Law
Feb08

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. More than a year has passed since Donald Trump imposed his inhumane immigration policy on people from Muslim-majority countries, leaving hundreds of visa applicants in a state of frustration and administrative limbo. Although the travel ban was to be reviewed every six months for the purposes of assessing its necessity, it has remained in effect indefinitely. Under such circumstances, nationals from countries subject to the travel ban find no option but to file a waiver request with the U.S. Consulate in hopes of reuniting with their beloved ones, and carrying forward their prospective endeavor

February 8, 2019
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U.S. Permanent Residency through Employment-Based Visa Categories: Far from Unfeasible

Permanent Residency through Employment-Based Visa
Jan25

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Trump’s stringent immigration policy running afoul of America’s long-standing tradition of embracing immigrants is widely known across the globe. Anti-immigration policies as the centerpiece of Trump’s agenda through which U.S. major issues could allegedly be resolved have stoked concerns among foreign nationals. In such an unwelcoming climate, individuals with outstanding academic and professional profile as well as investors (qualifying for the EB-1, EB-2 NIW and EB-5 categories) may view U.S. permanent residency unachievable

January 25, 2019
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U.S. Government Shutdown: Touching the Lives of Hundreds of Thousands of Federal employees

U.S. Government Shutdown: Touching the Lives of employees
Jan14

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Three weeks have passed since the federal government shuttered, leaving almost 800,000 federal employees frustrated. Marked as the longest government shutdown in the U.S. history, it has been driven by the disagreement between Donald Trump and the Congressional democrats over the construction of a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border. With Donald Trump persistently refusing to sign a spending bill without the requested $5.7 billion for the border wall, it is hard to predict how long the government shutdown will last. The shutdown has resulted in the closure of some departments including

January 14, 2019
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Some U.S. Visas have significantly furthered the U.S. national interests

U.S. Visas have furthered the U.S. national interests
Dec08

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Immigration is one of the hot topics nowadays with Trump’s administration instituting a zero tolerance policy on immigration issues. The anti-immigration approach helped put him in the White House, some allege. Despite Donald Trump’s false belief that the current immigration system has undermined the national interests of the country and thus, merits comprehensive reform, extensive research and literature prove otherwise. U.S. visas such as the J-1 (as a non-immigrant visa), EB-1, EB-2 NIW, and EB-5 visas have all been beneficial to the United States. A number of benefits

December 8, 2018
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EB-2/NIW: A Golden Path to U.S. Permanent Residency

EB-2/NIW: A Golden Path to U.S. Permanent Residency
Nov01

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. EB-2/NIW: A Golden Path to U.S. Permanent Residency The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides foreign nationals with multiple ways to obtain U.S. permanent residency, one of them being the EB-2/NIW category (employment based green card-second preference for those seeking a national interest waiver). Thanks to the EB-2/NIW category, holders of advanced degrees (Master’s degree or above or Bachelor’s degree plus 5 years of experience in the field) or aliens of exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business who benefit the national interests of the United States, can

November 1, 2018
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Why May a Green Card Application be Denied?

Many Reasons Why a Green Card Application is Denied?
Jun08

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Finding out that your green card application (either complete Form I-485 or adjustment of status in the United States or apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy abroad) has been denied can be devastating. But, the authorities responsible for this don’t deny applications for silly reasons. More often than not, the denial is based on valid and justifiable factors. Though the decision cannot be reversed easily, knowing what caused the denial might provide some form of closure. So, here are some of the top reasons why green card applications usually get denied. Your

June 8, 2018
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