NYC Immigration Law Firm - Law Office of Ruchi Thaker

08/20/2026

Thrilled to receive this green card approval alert for a client that I have represented since 2016!

This Sri Lankan client had an old deportation order. But he also had a United States citizen daughter who was able to petition for him for a green card.

During the first Trump administration, I asked the government lawyer to agree to join in my request to reopen his case once the daughter‘s visa petition was approved. They waited a while before agreeing to join in the motion.

Once they agreed, I filed the motion to reopen with the Board of Immigration Appeals, and his removal case was dismissed. That meant he was then free to apply for a green card directly with USCIS, which we did in 2022.

We had two green card interviews, even though this was not a marriage based green card case. They wanted to re-litigate his old asylum case which I refuse to let them do at his green card interview.

Our last interview was in February 2026 and today they finally approved his case!

So happy for this client and his family. I know he’s been aching to visit his ailing mother in Sri Lanka and hopefully now he can go visit her soon! 🙏

08/20/2026

Multiple airline employees say ICE officers are increasingly showing up unannounced, demanding help apprehending travelers without providing judicial warrants

08/20/2026

Green card applicants soon could face greater scrutiny when they are deemed a public charge, which defines a person who is primarily dependent on the government. Public charge guidance allows…

08/20/2026

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a minor New Jersey offense is still a criminal conviction under U.S. immigration law, upholding a deportation order for a longtime resident. The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit centers on Kwok Sum Wong, a native of Hong Kong...

08/20/2026

The Trump administration is trying to deport a self-described CIA spy who won permission to live in the U.S. by helping convict terrorists.

08/19/2026

I didn’t really follow his entire immigration journey so not sure what his current status is.

Maybe he’s already a green card holder (?) in that case he has to somehow maintain his green card status by returning to the US or maybe he took out a reentry permit to stay abroad up to two years at a time without abandoning his green card (?)

I’m fairly certain he’s not a US citizen since he still has his nobility title, which he would have to relinquish in order to become a citizen. 

But now that they’re moving back to the UK, how will he ever come back since he previously admitted to drug use in writing (in his memoir) and in interviews that are documented (and I don’t think it was less than 30 g of ma*****na for personal use)?

Usually, anyone who admits to drug use is permanently inadmissible to the US as there is no waiver for it. Even green card holders. 

The only exception is 30 g or less of ma*****na for personal use.

But he confessed to using other drugs in addition to ma*****na.

Maybe he never wants to return to the US 🤷🏻‍♀️ and I’m not aware of any Royal exceptions to the drug inadmissibility law.

Maybe there’s special diplomatic immunity for him? 👑

Maybe he can seek a special temporary discretionary waiver under INA section 212(d)(3)?

Will he even want to come back?

So many questions! 🤣 A true joy for immigration lawyers!

My biggest question has always been how did he gain entry into the US in the first place with his admission of drug use? 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving back to Britain with their children, who will begin school there this fall, marking the family’s biggest decision since stepping away from royal duties six years ago

08/19/2026

A family from Ecuador was detained last week, with the children and their mother sent to a Texas detention center and their father held in Western New York.

08/19/2026

Oswaldo Pirela, a Venezuelan and minor league catching coordinator for the San Diego Padres, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, at El Paso International Airport in Texas while returning to Arizona from a work trip.

08/19/2026

A University of Maryland School of Pharmacy instructor who was detained by immigration officers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in July was denied his release, his attorney confirmed.

08/19/2026

Recent immigration policies of the Trump administration affect American citizens sponsoring family members and employers seeking workers as the economy has slowed down.