Aust Schmiechen, P.A.

04/21/2022

We are thrilled that Minnesota Governor Walz just signed into law the “at risk juvenile guardianship,” which will give certain immigrant youth in MN between the ages of 18 and 21 the ability to seek guardianship as a protection from abuse, abandonment and neglect and will open a pathway to legal status that federal law already permitted, but a gap in the MN law made impossible for these kids.
We are proud that our Associate Attorney, Alison Griffith, helped draft the bill language for this legislation. We will take at-risk juvenile guardianship cases at Aust Schmiechen, so please DM us or give our office a call at 612.724.4860 if you think you, or someone you know, could be eligible! If you are a lawyer wanting training on these cases, please feel free to get in touch.
A big shout out to our many immigration lawyers and nonprofit colleagues who made this a reality!
You can view the new law on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes website at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2736&ssn=0&y=2021

04/24/2020

Today, USCIS announced that it will continue to maintain as closed all of its offices where customer contact is required due to COVID-19/coronavirus. Please see the USCIS pages relating to USCIS office closures due to COVID-19/coronavirus.

ALERT: As of March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has temporarily suspended routine in-person services through at least June 4 to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID

04/20/2020

Even though most of Minnesota continues to , the legal services provided by Aust Schmiechen have been deemed essential pursuant to the Governor's Shelter In Place order; we are maintaining an office presence Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you would like to set up a consultation with one of our attorneys, please feel free to call us at 612.724.4860.

04/01/2020

USCIS has extended closure of their offices due to the current COVID-19 epidemic through May 3, 2020. You can keep up to date on USCIS closures by going to their page on the subject.

ALERT: As of March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and Application Support Centers (ASCs) to help s

03/27/2020

In lght of the current COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS is offering flexibility if you have not yet responded to a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID).

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it is adopting a measure to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding

03/17/2020

Aust Schmiechen will be reducing office presence at its suite on Nicollet Mall in light of current precautions and recommendations relating to the COVID-19/Coronavrus epidemic. Someone should be present most days, but the easiest way to get a hold of us may be to send an email. We will try to continue to provide service to you, our beloved clients, but it may take us a little more time. Thank you in advance for your patience. In addition, to the extent possible, meetings will be done remotely, by phone or through other means of communication.

10/04/2019

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced that the proposed changes in determining who is eligible for certain immigration benefits based on an assessment of their becoming a Public Charge Rule will go into effect at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on October 15, 2019. DHS has widened the scope of public benefits people receive and additional factors to be considered in determining inadmissibility under the public charge rules. If you are presently eligible to file an application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, (also known as applying for a Green Card), we encourage you to file by October 14, 2019 so that the new rules will not apply to you. If you send in an application for Permanent Resident status after October 14, 2019, please consult with a lawyer to further understand the complexity of this rule change and how it may impact your immigration status. For more information on the new rule, USCIS has set up an information page available here: https://www.uscis.gov/legal-resources/final-rule-public-charge-ground-inadmissibility.

Self-sufficiency has long been a basic principle of U.S. immigration law. Since the 1800s, Congress has put into statute that individuals are inadmissible to the United States if they are un

08/14/2019

Are you a Lawful Permanent Resident that is presently eligible to apply for US Citizenship? Are you interested in participating in the 2020 election and voting for the first time? The window for filing and being sworn in before November 2020 is closing. Presently cases in Minnesota can take 12-15 months from the filing date until an applicant is sworn in as a US Citizen. If you have been a Permanent Resident for 4 years and 9 months (or 2 years, 9 months if you are married to and living with a US Citizen), you can apply now. If interested, please consider a consultation with Aust Schmiechen to assess your eligibility to apply for US Citizenship. We can be reached Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.