USCIS Filing Fee Changes, Premium Processing Timeline Changes, New Forms, and More!

On Monday, August 3rd, USCIS will publish the final rule (regulation) outlining the filing fee changes, and other changes, that will become effective October 2, 2020. Why is USCIS Changing the Filing Fees? USCIS reviews and sometimes changes the fili… Read More
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A Pause on the Public Charge Rule

By Samantha Davis, Richmond Immigration Lawyer On Monday, August 12, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule amending “public charge” regulations. The new public charge rule redefines whether a visa applicant s… Read More
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New Public Charge Rule is Here: Brace Yourselves (and consider filing now)!

The information below may significantly impact many types of U.S. immigration filings, including green card applications (both ones filed from within the US, and ones filed through consular processing), as well as nonimmigrants (H-1B, L, E, etc) in c… Read More
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Can I Enter the U.S. to Get Married?

Here at Sumner Immigration Law, we love helping clients with family-based immigration cases! It’s so rewarding to help families come up with and execute an immigration strategy to help them meet their personal, family, and professional goals. O… Read More
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Applying for U.S. citizenship or a green card? Be ready to travel!

USCIS announced today that in an effort to improve processing times for the N-400 (used to apply for naturalization) and I-485 (used to apply for the adjustment of status/permanent residence), they are re-distributing work to different field offices,… Read More
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Why Is My Immigration Case Taking So Long?! Recent Trends in USCIS Processing Delays

By Samantha Davis, Richmond, VA Immigration Lawyer If you feel like your case has been pending for longer than anticipated, you are not alone. Members of the immigration law community have noticed longer and longer case processing times. Their observ… Read More
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Help! My race is not listed on the I-485 Form!

We frequently have clients ask about the Biographic Information section in Part 7 of the I-485 Form and similar questions on race and ethnicity on other U.S. immigration forms. The form limits the preparer to two ethnicities and five races. This can… Read More
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NTA Policy On Hold --- For Now

Earlier this month, we wrote about two new major policy changes with U.S. immigration: 1) a policy memo was issued that directed USCIS to issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) when a petition or application was denied, leaving the beneficiary or applicant o… Read More
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Form I-485: Latest Victim of USCIS Form Changes

USCIS has a habit of making sweet and short forms much longer and more complicated. This is not to say that just because a form is short, it’s less complex. If you have dealt with U.S. immigration before, you know that completing the forms corr… Read More
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Do You Really Need My Birth Certificate for the Green Card Application?

When a foreign national is applying for permanent residence in the US, whether through consular processing or through adjustment of status in the US, a copy (and original) of the foreign national’s birth certificate is generally required. We list t… Read More
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