Immigration Backlog
USCIS Updates Key CSPA Interpretation to Protect Some Immigrant Youth, But Backlogs Continue to Cause Hardships
On August 24, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new update to its policy manual clarifying a previous policy change aimed at expanding green card eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) for children who lost eligibility, or “aged out,” due to the years-long visa… Read More
Lawsuit Challenging Texas’ Floating Barrier Raises Questions About Its Other Border Policies
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Last Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice followed through on its promise to sue Texas over its border policies. But the lawsuit’s focus—the installation of buoys along the Rio Grande River—is far narrower than advocates hoped. The lawsuit came three weeks after… Read More
Biden Administration Will Allow More Families Stuck in Visa Backlog to Reunite in US
The Biden administration has started a program to allow some Central and South Americans who are stuck in the family visa backlog to come to the United States and reunite with their relatives while they wait for their immigrant visas to become available. But while the new programs could help… Read More
Congress Proposes the Case Backlog and Transparency Act to Tackle USCIS Backlogs
The backlog of pending applications at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased exponentially in the last few years. Congress is finally taking notice. The Case Backlog and Transparency Act, introduced by Congressman Tony Cárdenas on October 25, seeks to address the long delays encountered by millions of… Read More
Welcoming and Inclusive State Policies: A Midyear Review of State Legislative Sessions in 2022
As immigration bills languish in Congress, state legislatures continue to pave the way in welcoming immigrants and refugees in 2022. With the majority of the 46 state legislatures that convened this year having adjourned, many states—once again—used the legislative process to pass bills that make their communities more inclusive for… Read More
Here’s How Americans Can Sponsor Afghan Refugees as They Resettle in US Communities
Since the last evacuation flights left Afghanistan, there have been over 68,000 Afghan allies housed on Department of Defense bases waiting for resettlement. The scope and size of the mission, designated as Operation Allies Welcome, is of historic proportions. It has brought together interagency governmental taskforces, refugee resettlement organizations,… Read More
The COVID-19 Pandemic Made USCIS Backlogs Go from Bad to Worse
Backlogs, processing delays, and revenue shortfalls are nothing new at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency has long suffered from severe structural problems that hurt people who depend on it for work authorization, adjustment of status, naturalization, and many other immigration benefits. However, the impact of the COVID-19… Read More
Biden’s Commitment to Refugees in Question After Flip-Flopping on Admissions Cap
Throughout his presidential campaign and after the election, Joe Biden repeatedly condemned President Trump’s decision to slash the U.S. refugee admissions level to its lowest in history. He promised to raise the number of refugees admitted to 125,000 a year. But on April 16, President Biden instead signed a… Read More
USCIS Begins to Reverse Course on H-1B Petitions
Employers and workers are starting to see a shift from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on unlawful restrictions of the H-1B specialty occupation visa category. Over the past nine months, USCIS rescinded three policy memoranda after federal courts found the agency’s positions to be contrary to the law and… Read More
ICE Violates the Fourth Amendment When It Detains People Without Probable Cause, Court Rules
A federal appeals court recently ruled that the Fourth Amendment requires a neutral decisionmaker to review the detention of anyone held based on an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer. The decision came after ICE attempted to detain an American citizen without probable cause and flagged him as… Read More
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