Immigration Lawyer Arsen V. Baziyants

05/25/2026

DOES THE MAY 22, 2026 USCIS MEMO APPLY TO PENDING CASES?
My Reading: Yes

One of the most common questions following the May 22, 2026 USCIS Memo is whether it applies only to adjustment applications filed after May 22, or whether it also affects cases already pending with USCIS.

My reading is that it applies to both newly filed and pending cases.

The reason is relatively straightforward. On its face, the Memo does not appear to create new statutory eligibility requirements or establish a new legal test. Rather, it repeatedly cites longstanding case law and reiterates principles that already existed: adjustment of status is discretionary, applicants bear the burden of establishing favorable discretion, and officers weigh favorable and unfavorable factors under a totality-of-the-circumstances analysis.

That distinction matters. If the Memo created entirely new legal requirements, stronger arguments could exist against applying those standards to previously filed applications. However, if USCIS views the Memo simply as guidance explaining how officers should exercise discretion under already-existing law, then there may be little reason to separate pending cases from newly filed cases.

Importantly, this does not necessarily mean that pending cases suddenly became defective or face entirely new obstacles. My larger takeaway remains the same: the Memo appears less like the creation of new law and more like a reminder that adjustment of status has always involved discretion.

Immigration Lawyer Arsen V. Baziyants serves individuals and families in Las Vegas with family immigration and naturalization services since 2008.

05/25/2026

The May 22 USCIS memo has generated a lot of reactions online. Depending on who you ask, this is either “nothing new” or “the end of adjustment of status.” As is often the case in immigration law, the truth may be somewhere in the middle.

After reading the memo and the authorities it relies on, one point becomes clear: adjustment of status has always been discretionary. USCIS officers have long had authority to weigh positive and negative factors in deciding whether to approve a case. That authority did not suddenly appear on May 22.

So why all the attention?

Because there can be a difference between a legal standard existing on paper and how actively it is applied in practice. The larger question may not be whether the law changed, but whether officers begin applying these long-existing principles more aggressively during real-world adjudications.

For straightforward family-based cases with no unusual issues, criminal history, fraud concerns, or significant immigration complications, I do not think this memo is a reason to panic.

At the same time, I would not dismiss it entirely.

Immigration cases are rarely as simple as people initially believe. Prior filings, inconsistencies, periods of unlawful presence, unauthorized employment, criminal matters, or other facts can sometimes become part of a larger discretionary picture.

In my experience, people often contact an attorney believing they know the issue in their case, only to discover that the more important issue is something they never considered mentioning.

As for pending I-485 applications, there are still unanswered practical questions. Public information does not yet clearly tell us how implementation will unfold.

For now: no headlines, no fear — just analysis.

Questions? Call 702-243-9444 or visit lvimmigrationattorney.com.

Arsen V. Baziyants, Immigration Lawyer. Call 702-243-9444 or visit our website, LVImmigrationAttorney.com

05/21/2026

There is a lot of anxiety right now around citizenship applications. I regularly hear concerns that naturalization has become nearly impossible, that approvals are collapsing, or that USCIS has suddenly stopped approving cases.

The available data tells a more nuanced story.

Looking at recent USCIS naturalization statistics, overall approval rates appear to have shifted from approximately 91% to approximately 90%. That is a change, but not the dramatic collapse many people imagine.

This does not mean the experience necessarily feels the same. Increased scrutiny, delays, additional questions, and uncertainty can absolutely make the process feel more stressful.

But there is an important distinction between:

"The process feels harder" and
"The system has stopped approving cases."

Those are not the same thing.

One thing I have learned after years in practice: fear spreads faster than statistics. Immigration decisions should be based on facts, careful analysis, and the specifics of a person's case—not headlines alone.

If you are considering applying for U.S. citizenship and want guidance tailored to your specific situation, give us a call at 702-243-9444 or visit https://lvimmigrationattorney.com/ to learn more about how we may be able to help.

Arsen V. Baziyants, Immigration Lawyer. Call 702-243-9444 or visit our website, LVImmigrationAttorney.com

05/17/2026

A U.S. citizen son attempted to handle his mother’s green card case on his own.

On paper, it looked simple: a U.S. citizen (over 21) petitioning for his biological mother, who had entered the United States legally with a visa. A case many people assume is “straightforward.”

But in immigration law, “straightforward” does not mean forgiving.

After the self-filed case was submitted, USCIS issued a Request for Evidence. Among other things:

• The required medical exam had not been submitted
• There were multiple issues involving the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
• Supporting documentation was incomplete or insufficient

With an RFE, you often get one meaningful opportunity to fix the record.

In this case, USCIS approved the underlying I-130 petition—but denied the I-485 adjustment application on technical compliance grounds.

By the time the family contacted our office, the denial had already appeared in the applicant’s USCIS online account.

At that point, timing mattered.

A denied adjustment application can create serious complications, including unlawful presence concerns and, in some situations, possible placement into removal proceedings.

This matter was handled on an emergency basis.

Within 72 hours, our law firm prepared and filed a new adjustment package—this time with the medical exam, corrected financial sponsorship documentation, and a fully organized evidentiary record.

USCIS has now accepted the new filing and already scheduled biometrics.

The case is back on track.

Why this matters:
In my experience, many immigration cases do not fail because the family was ineligible.

They fail because the process looked simple… until the details mattered.

— Arsen V. Baziyants
Serving families in Nevada and California since 2008

05/17/2026

A U.S. citizen son attempted to handle his mother’s green card case on his own.

On paper, it looked simple: a U.S. citizen (over 21) petitioning for his biological mother, who had entered the United States legally with a visa. A case many people assume is “straightforward.”

But in immigration law, “straightforward” does not mean forgiving.

After the self-filed case was submitted, USCIS issued a Request for Evidence. Among other things:

• The required medical exam had not been submitted
• There were multiple issues involving the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
• Supporting documentation was incomplete or insufficient

With an RFE, you often get one meaningful opportunity to fix the record.

In this case, USCIS approved the underlying I-130 petition—but denied the I-485 adjustment application on technical compliance grounds.

By the time the family contacted our office, the denial had already appeared in the applicant’s USCIS online account.

At that point, timing mattered.

A denied adjustment application can create serious complications, including unlawful presence concerns and, in some situations, possible placement into removal proceedings.

This matter was handled on an emergency basis.

Within 72 hours, our law firm prepared and filed a new adjustment package—this time with the medical exam, corrected financial sponsorship documentation, and a fully organized evidentiary record.

USCIS has now accepted the new filing and already scheduled biometrics.

The case is back on track.

Why this matters:
In my experience, many immigration cases do not fail because the family was ineligible.

They fail because the process looked simple… until the details mattered.

— Arsen V. Baziyants
Serving families in Nevada and California since 2008

Arsen V. Baziyants, Immigration Lawyer. Call 702-243-9444 or visit our website, LVImmigrationAttorney.com

05/15/2026

**Arsen V. Baziyants provides focused, individualized representation in marriage-based green cards, family immigration, and naturalization—serving clients in Southern Nevada since 2008.**

From straightforward filings to matters involving prior immigration history, waivers, interviews, or careful strategic preparation, every case receives direct attorney attention, clear guidance, and thoughtful preparation at every stage of the process.

Serving clients throughout Clark Count, NV, including Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Spring Valley, and Paradise.

“What matters most in immigration is often a fact that seemed minor at the time—a trip outside the United States, an old arrest, a prior filing, a marriage or divorce, a tax issue, or an answer given years ago. Part of my job is to uncover that fact—then, drawing on 18 years of experience as an immigration lawyer, exercise judgment about how it is likely to shape the course of the case.”
— Arsen V. Baziyants

📞 702-243-9444
Հայերեն • Russian

Arsen V. Baziyants - Immigration Attorney Serving Las Vegas since 2008.

Learn more about our service and request a consultation from https://lvimmigrationattorney.com/

Schedule a consultation with immigration attorney Arsen V. Baziyants

05/15/2026

Arsen V. Baziyants provides focused, individualized representation in marriage-based green cards, family immigration, and naturalization—serving clients in California and Nevada since 2008.

From straightforward filings to matters involving prior immigration history, waivers, interviews, or careful strategic preparation, every case receives direct attorney attention, clear guidance, and thoughtful preparation at every stage of the process.

Serving clients throughout the Greater Los Angeles area, including Glendale, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Pasadena, and surrounding communities.

📞 310-299-4586, Հայերեն • Russian

Learn more about our California immigration services:
https://lvimmigrationattorney.com/immigration-lawyer-california/

Schedule a consultation with immigration attorney Arsen V. Baziyants

05/14/2026

A married couple came to see me after receiving a Notice of Intent to Deny from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on their marriage-based green card case.

By that point, almost everything that could go wrong had gone wrong:

— A difficult interview.
— Separate questioning.
— A field investigation.
— And now, a letter that understandably left them scared.

They began the consultation with a phrase I hear often:

“We already gave them everything.”

Ninety minutes later, we had a checklist of more than twenty additional pieces of evidence.

What happened?

Not fraud.
Not a fake marriage.
Not bad intentions.

Just three very human mistakes:

1. They underestimated what “evidence” really means.
To them, their marriage was obvious. To the government, what matters is what can be documented, organized, explained, and proven.

2. They walked into the interview unprepared.
Not because they were hiding anything—but because nobody had prepared them mentally, emotionally, or strategically for how these interviews can unfold.

3. They assumed being genuine was enough.
It often is not.

Then something remarkable surfaced.

Among the documents they had never thought to submit were emergency room records showing one spouse admitted for trauma… and the other spouse listed, present, involved, and by their side throughout the ordeal.

Hospital records.
Photos.
Real life.

The kind of evidence you cannot manufacture.

By the end of the meeting, what began as “we gave them everything” had become a completely different case file.

Will it be approved? No lawyer can promise that.

But in my professional judgment, the case now tells a very different story—and, at minimum, creates a far stronger record for response, appeal, or refiling.

The lesson?

In immigration, what matters most is often not the fact you know… but the fact you never realized mattered.

This post shares a real-world experience from practice with identifying details changed or omitted to protect confidentiality. It is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

05/09/2026

When people walk into my office for the first time, many pause for a second before we even begin talking about immigration.

They look around.

The artwork.
The quiet.
The absence of chaos.

That pause matters.

Because immigration cases are often brought to lawyers at some of the most uncertain moments in a person’s life.

In my experience, the environment matters.

Not because a room wins cases.

But because details often reveal how a person—or a law practice—approaches everything else.

The same mindset that builds a calm, intentional space… is often the same mindset that prepares a case carefully, spots issues early, and refuses to rush what matters.

Sometimes people aren’t just looking for legal answers.

Sometimes they’re looking for confidence that they’re in the right place.

— Arsen V. Baziyants
Las Vegas Immigration Attorney

05/07/2026

I get this call more often than you might think:

“Mr. Baziyants, I became a U.S. citizen through my parents years ago… but I never applied for my Certificate of Citizenship.”

Or:

“I had my certificate… but it was lost, stolen, or damaged. Should I replace it?”

My answer often surprises people:

If you already have a legitimately issued U.S. passport, that may be all you need—for all practical purposes.

Why?

✔ Your U.S. passport already reflects a federal determination that you are a U.S. citizen.

✔ If your passport was issued after age 16 and within the last 15 years, you can generally renew it—even if expired—using the old passport itself, without producing a Certificate of Citizenship.

✔ No naturalized U.S. citizen loses sleep wondering whether ICE will disregard their U.S. passport simply because their Naturalization Certificate came from a different agency.

✔ The same logic applies to derivative citizens.

Different agency. Same United States.

If you already have your U.S. passport, I would think twice before spending thousands—and months of waiting—simply to obtain or replace a citizenship certificate “just in case.”

— Arsen V. Baziyants

NOTE: Posts are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.