NELSON SMITH, LLP

03/02/2022

NELSON SMITH supports the people of Ukraine in the midst of this ongoing crisis. In an effort to help, we are waiving our consultation fees for citizens of Ukraine

01/28/2022

We are hiring! We have an opening for a bilingual (Spanish/English) receptionist/administrative assistant. Starting wage is $20/hour. We offer health and dental benefits and a retirement plan. If interested, please send your cover letter and resume to [email protected].

02/19/2021

https://apple.news/ALqIekQX-QP6flsTTA3DYLQ

After four years of stepped-up enforcement, the Biden administration is announcing new guidelines that sharply limit who can be arrested and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

02/05/2021

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/04/dream-act-lindsey-graham-dick-durbin-unveil-latest-version-of-immigration-reform-bill.html

The Dream Act would give some young, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children the opportunity to pursue a path toward American citizenship.

01/20/2021

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/us/politics/biden-immigration-policies.html?te=1&nl=the-morning&emc=edit_nn_20210120

Legislation he will propose on his first day as president will give undocumented immigrants the chance to become citizens and restore and expand programs for refugees and asylum seekers.

12/08/2020

USCIS finally complies with court order!

On November 14, 2020, Judge Nicholas George Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an opinion regarding the July 28, 2020 memorandum signed by Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf. On December 4, 2020, Judge Garaufis required the Department of Homeland Security to r...

12/05/2020

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daca-restoration-order-immigration-applicants/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=curated

One million undocumented immigrant teens and young adults who qualify for DACA on paper could apply for the Obama-era protections from deportation following the court order.

12/04/2020

Victory for spouses of U Visa applicants!
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (en banc) held that that the USCIS regulation, 8 CFR §214.14(f)(4), is not a permissible interpretation of the statute as it requires that spouses be married when the Form I-918 U Visa application is filed, rather than when the principal petition is granted. Plaintiffs were married by the time Medina Tovar was granted a U Visa on October 1, 2015. As of March 29, 2016, when Medina Tovar petitioned for derivative U-visa status, her husband was entitled to receive a U visa if he otherwise met the requirements. Medina Tovar v. Zuchowski.
Congrats to our own Philip Smith for this win!

10/27/2020

Good news! USCIS fee increased blocked by a federal judge. Also, the Visa Bulletin is looking fantastic for (F2A) Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents! Do you know your Priority Date? Call us to schedule a consultation: (503) 224-8600.

07/31/2020

USCIS will significant increase filing fees on October 1, 2020. Contact our office if you have questions about filing applications!

Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule that adjusts fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefit requests to ensure U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recovers its costs of services.

07/14/2020

Good news for F-1 Student Visa holders:
Law360 (July 14, 2020, 3:21 PM EDT) -- The Trump administration has agreed to rescind a directive that would have barred foreign students from the United States if their colleges canceled in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, following lawsuits by a number of universities and states, according to a Tuesday hearing.

During the hearing Tuesday in a case filed by Harvard University and MIT, U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston recounted her understanding of an agreement between the federal government and those schools.

The hearing was slated for a 90-minute spar between the two sides over a motion for a preliminary injunction. Instead, it ended in less than two minutes, after the parties acknowledged a truce had been reached.

The settlement means U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will revert back to guidance issued in March that allowed international students to remain in the U.S. even if their college or university opted for online-only instruction during the pandemic.

The abrupt course reversal by the federal government moots not only the suit brought by Harvard and MIT, but also similar suits filed by the state of New York, a group of universities in the Western U.S., Johns Hopkins University and a coalition of 17 state attorneys general led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Harvard and MIT are represented by Ari Holtzblatt, Paul R.Q. Wolfson, Seth P. Waxman, Felicia H. Ellsworth, Mark C. Fleming and William F. Lee of WilmerHale.

The government is represented by Rayford A. Farquhar of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The case is President and Fellows of Harvard College et al. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al., case number 1:20-cv-11283, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

07/08/2020

Good work Harvard and MIT - protecting F-1 students against this harmful policy.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified colleges that international students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools operate entirely online.