Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Bringing Your Parents To The US Legally
Let’s say that you have found a legal way for you to come to this country, and perhaps remain here, whether by visa, green card or some other method. The problem is that your parents are still in your home country, and you want them here, or you feel that they need to be… Read More »
Understanding Work Visas For More Experienced Workers
There are a lot of ways for people who come to the United States to get permission to stay here, and work here. One way is through what is known as the EB-3 visa, or the visa for skilled workers. But what is a skilled worker? Is anybody who has any kind of skill… Read More »
Court Says Those Who Enter The US Illegally, Can’t Get Citizenship
The Supreme Court made it a little harder for certain immigrants to get Green Cards. The saddest part is, they denied that right to immigrants entering the country under the worst of conditions—fleeing hardship, disaster or oppression. TPS Status and Citizenship The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that immigrants who fled to America under what… Read More »
Questions To Expect In Your Marriage Based Green Card Interview
Let’s say that you are getting married, and you are trying to get a marriage based green card. The process has been explained to you, and you generally think that you will qualify. Your marriage is genuine (that is, not just being done for immigration purposes), so you have no concerns. Except for the… Read More »
US Takes A Hard Line Position On Haitian And Cuban Immigration
Normally, there are a number of immigration programs to help people who are fleeing violence, oppression or unrest in their home countries. Whether it be asylum, or a country being put on a temporary protected status, when drastic but temporary conditions exist, the United States often makes exceptions for immigrants fleeing from those countries…. Read More »
DACA Is Halted, And In Jeopardy–Again
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is once again on life support. The program has been implemented and stopped numerous times. This time, a federal court ruling threatens to end it for good, and appears to have, at least for now, suspended the program. What is DACA? DACA is a program that… Read More »
Court Says Incomplete Notices To Appear May Be Invalid
If you are an undocumented immigrant, you may eventually get what is known as a “notice to appear.” As the name indicates, it is the document that requires that you appear in immigration court on the date and time stated in the notice. Deadlines and Time in the Country As a general rule, if… Read More »
Could Court Appointed Lawyers Be Coming To Immigration Courts?
We have often written about how unfair it is that immigrants with low incomes still do not have access to good, qualified immigration lawyers, outside of programs that may provide free legal services to them—programs that are often overworked and understaffed. Despite the fact that in immigration, people’s lives and liberty are often at… Read More »
Supreme Court Says Immigrants Have Burden Of Proof In Hardship Cases
We recently wrote about the ability of an immigrant to apply for a hardship waiver, which would avoid deportation where the deportation would cause a severe and undue hardship on relatives. But the ability to get a hardship waiver isn’t available to people who are not already in the country legally, nor to people… Read More »
Can You Work In The United States Without A Social Security Card?
A Social Security number is used by the government to allow people to work legally in the United States. Whether here legally or not, a lot of immigrants simply don’t have a valid Social Security number. So can you work without a Social Security number? How to Get a Social Security Number A Social… Read More »
