U.S. Consulates to Prioritize Immigrant Visa Backlog

The Biden administration announced this week that it was directing U.S. embassies and consulates a priority on the processing of fiancé(e) visas and permanent residence visas (better known as “green cards”). The announcement reverses course from the previous administration, which had halted most green card applications filed abroad. » Read More

Pennsylvania Democrats have proposed House Bill 279, which would amend state law to grant a driver’s license without a Social Security number, enabling undocumented immigrants to receive a learner’s permit or a driver’s license, by using just their taxpayer identification number and some additional documents. » Read More

Federal Court Freezes 100-Day Deportation Pause

On January 26, 2021, a federal judge in Texas, following a challenge by the Texas State Attorney General’s Office, issued a 14-day nationwide temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of President Biden’s 100-day pause on most deportations as part of his many executive actions regarding immigration. » Read More

On January 18, two immigration groups, the Free Migration Project in Philadelphia and the Austin Sanctuary Network in Texas, joined four undocumented immigrant women living in sanctuary to file a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a Washington, D.C., » Read More

Biden’s Sweeping New Immigration Proposals

President Joe Biden, sworn into office on Wednesday, will present Congress with a sweeping immigration reform bill. This bill represents a reversal of many of the previous administration’s immigration policies.

The most prominent feature of the bill is an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States without legal status. » Read More

A new study released by the pro-immigrant reform group, FWD.us, shows that more than two-thirds of undocumented immigrant workers have frontline jobs considered essential to the U.S. fight against COVID-19. According to the 2019 American Community Survey by the Census Bureau, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that 69% of undocumented immigrant workers hold jobs that are deemed essential. » Read More

New Jersey was scheduled to begin issuing driver’s licenses for immigrants without legal documents by the beginning of January 2021, but Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) officials announced there will be a delay due to the COVID pandemic. » Read More

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published its year-end report, stating that the illegal immigrants arrested by ICE during fiscal year (FY) 2020 had an average of four criminal convictions or pending criminal charges each. The United States is home to about 10.5 million undocumented immigrants. » Read More

Last week, Congress passed the $900 billion coronavirus relief package that was signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 27, 2020. In this package, the U.S. government will allow mixed-status households to receive stimulus checks. In mixed-status families, at least one member of the household must have a Social Security number (SSN). » Read More

Immigration & Customs Enforcement Extends I-9 Flexibility Rules

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has announced that it will extend its flexibilities for compliance with I-9 regulations until at least January 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The flexibilities in I-9 compliance were set to expire on December 31, 2020. » Read More