<![CDATA[Spiller-Reddick Immigration Law, PLLC - The Fredericksburg Immigration Lawyer Blog]]>Fri, 03 May 2024 18:18:31 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[A Top Immigration Judge Who Stepped Down Under Trump Has Now Been Chosen To Lead The Court System]]>Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:23:48 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/a-top-immigration-judge-who-stepped-down-under-trump-has-now-been-chosen-to-lead-the-court-system"The Biden administration has appointed a former lead immigration judge to head the nation’s immigration courts after years of significant changes under former president Donald Trump that curtailed judicial flexibility.

David Neal, who retired from his position as a chief immigration judge of the Executive Office of Immigration Review in 2019, has now been appointed to lead the agency. His resignation in 2019 came during a time when many immigration judges left EOIR due to concerns about how the Trump administration had reshaped the work the court was doing.

Under Trump, officials executed a monumental overhaul of the way immigration judges worked by placing quotas on the number of cases they should complete every year, ending their ability to indefinitely suspend others, restricting when asylum can be granted, and pouring thousands of previously closed cases back onto court dockets. As a result, the case backlog increased and wait times continued to skyrocket." Yahoo News 9/24/2021

]]><![CDATA[Welcome President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:14:29 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/welcome-president-joe-biden-and-vice-president-kamala-harrisWe are all expecting great things, and in the first 2 days, Mr. President signed nearly 20 executive actions.  Many targeting course-correcting the horrid immigration policies of the previous Administration.  Stay tuned.
]]><![CDATA[DACA is BACK!!! Even for NEW Applicants]]>Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:54:08 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/daca-is-back-even-for-new-applicantsIn compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is:
  • Accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
  • Accepting DACA renewal requests based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
  • Accepting applications for advance parole documents based on the terms of the DACA policy prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
  • Extending one-year grants of deferred action under DACA to two years; and
  • Extending one-year employment authorization documents under DACA to two years.
USCIS will take appropriate steps to provide evidence of the one-year extensions of deferred action and employment authorization documents under DACA to individuals who were issued documentation on or after July 28, 2020, with a one-year validity period under the defunct policy.

DHS will comply with the order while it remains in effect, but DHS may seek relief from the order.
https://www.uscis.gov/
Contact us today to scheduled your appointment!

]]><![CDATA[AILA's Flyer Regarding the NEW Trump Immigration Ban]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2020 19:32:25 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/ailas-flyer-regarding-the-new-trump-immigration-ban
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]]><![CDATA[New Immigration Ban]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2020 19:27:54 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/new-immigration-banInteresting exceptions to Trump's RECENT Immigration Ban "the executive order also includes several exceptions, most notably for the spouses and minor children of American citizens, people overseas who had already obtained visas, and those applying for an adjustment of their status who are already in the U.S. It also will not apply to health care workers seeking to fight COVID-19 in the U.S., nor military personnel or wealthy entrepreneurs promising to create jobs.

And it allows entry to those seeking temporary visas, such as farm workers and students — though the order stipulates that the status of these “non-immigrant visas” applications could be reconsidered after a month to “ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of U.S. workers.”
Source: TMP posted 4/23/2020]]><![CDATA[El Salvador TPS Extended to January 2022!]]>Tue, 29 Oct 2019 15:36:50 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/el-salvador-tps-extended-to-january-2022And the Angles are smiling: "The Trump administration on Monday extended temporary protected status for thousands of Salvadorans in the United States, granting them reprieve from removal to El Salvador."

​Los Angeles Times, 10/28/2019]]><![CDATA[F2A Current for the 1st Time in a LONG time (Spouse and Children of Green Card Holders may be eligible to file 1-step AOS in the USA...if otherwise eligible)]]>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 19:08:44 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/f2b-current-for-the-1st-time-in-a-long-time-spouse-and-children-of-green-card-holders-may-be-eligible-to-file-1-step-aos-in-the-usaif-otherwise-eligibleF2A Preference Category is CURRENT! What does this mean? If you are a Green Card holder and have a spouse or child (legal present) in the USA, you can sponsor them for their own Green Card in one-step! No longer will you have to file the Form I-130 first, then wait 1, 2, 3 years to wait for the next step.

Here's a great article from the Law Offices of Carl Shusterman (Note: Do not take this announcement as legal guidance. Please contact an experienced immigration attorney to help you ALL immigration matters.)
https://www.shusterman.com/family-2a-category-current/]]><![CDATA[Attention to Detail is SO IMPORTANT --- More Now Than Ever Before]]>Thu, 06 Jun 2019 19:48:12 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/attention-to-detail-is-so-important-more-now-than-ever-beforeRecently, I reiterated my usual refrain to a client:

"Well, as you know I may not be fast, but I try to get things done right."

My client rephrased this by saying:  "Well, yes, you are meticulous."

Meticulous.  I like this word.  In Spanish it is "Meticulosa," and I am going to use this to explain my process to new and existing clients from here on out.

Why does this matter?
In my humble opinion, we, sadly, have entered into a time when forgiveness and benefit of the doubt no longer exist with immigration processing.  Requests for Evidence (RFEs) letters for a forgotten document readily available is no longer the case; your application may simply just be rejected or denied because you failed to include a prior divorce decree or a birth certificate. In the past, USCIS would simply ask (via RFE) for the clearly missing item). 

Attorneys and preparers must take additional time to ensure that all of our i's are dotted and t's are crossed. We should be doing this anyway.

So, yes, I take a bit more time on the front end of case in effort to avoid negative outcomes on the back end such as delayed processing, an RFE letter, or forbid a rejection or denial. 

Often times, clients are in a rush, and some may ask  "Why is taking so long?" or "Can't you just mail the forms without the evidence?"  or "Do we really need everything that you're asking for?"

Yes.  If I ask for it, we need it.  Yes, I tend to take more time because, I am proud to say, I am meticulous.

My attention to detail, slow to act, and preference to research, review, and re-read has been a trait that some prior supervisors, loved ones, and friends might have considered annoying.

But Guess What?
Spiller-Reddick Immigration Law, PLLC has a 100% approval rate for investor clients and 95%+ approval rates for family-based and military-based cases. 
Being meticulous works for my clients.  

If you would like to schedule a consult with a Meticulous Immigration Attorney please call 540-300-2991.  
]]><![CDATA[TPS Extended]]>Fri, 01 Mar 2019 21:59:31 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/tps-extendedVia the Federal Register, DHS announced that TPS for Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador is automatically extended through January 2, 2020. NO NEW forms are required. ]]><![CDATA[California Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Attempt to End Some Immigrant Protections]]>Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:01:39 GMThttp://srimmigrationlaw.com/the-fredericksburg-immigration-lawyer-blog/california-judge-blocks-trump-administrations-attempt-to-end-some-immigrant-protectionsFrom the New York Times:
"A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Trump administration from ending special protections for immigrants from four countries devastated by war and natural disaster, temporarily relieving more than 300,000 people from the threat of deportation.

Immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan — some of whom have spent two decades in the United States — cheered Wednesday’s decision to retain the program, which was signed into law in 1990 by President George Bush. The program includes more than 263,000 Salvadorans, almost 59,000 Haitians, more than 5,000 Nicaraguans and more than 1,000 Sudanese, according to the court.

The judge, Edward M. Chen, did not rule on the merits of the case. But in the injunction, he said the beneficiaries, if deported, “indisputably will suffer irreparable harm and great hardship,” many having to choose between bringing their American-born children with them or splitting their families apart.

The injunction was another instance of a judge using President Trump’s own words on immigration against him. Judge Chen cited comments in the president’s speeches and Twitter posts as evidence of an “animus against nonwhite, non-European immigrants.” He wrote that there was “circumstantial evidence of race being a motivating factor.”
​Oct. 4, 20118, Go to: https://nyti.ms/2O7GmUV]]>