Binsfeld Law Firm

05/30/2023

U.S. Immigration Strategies for Employers in a Tight Labor Market:

The November 2022 mid-term elections brought divided government to Washington D.C., with the Republicans winning a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Democrats retaining control of the U.S. Senate (and of course the White House). New Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has vowed n...

01/03/2023

USCIS issued a proposed rule today to increase filing fees for immigration applications. The filing fees will increase on or after March 4, 2023. In particular, USCIS proposes to significantly increase filing fees for I-130 petitions, I-765 work permit applications, I-485 green cards, waivers (I-601A, I-212, and I-192), I-751 petitions to remove conditions on residency, H-1B registration, and I-129 petitions (including H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, L, O, E, TN, and R). You can see the proposed increases here:

01/01/2023

¡Feliz Año Nuevo para Todos! Y que el 2023 sea un año de mucha prosperidad. 🎇🌄🎆

12/24/2022

¡Felices Fiestas de Fin de Año les desea el Despacho Jurídico de Binsfeld!

12/02/2022

Attorney Mikaela Devine has been admitted to the federal court (U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota). This allows her to file lawsuits against the government, particularly U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), for a writ of mandamus—to demand that USCIS adjudicate cases that have been pending longer than normal. With processing times continuing to increase, we are frequently seeing I-130 petitions, I-485 green card applications, among other applications, that are pending with USCIS for 2, 3, and 4 years. This is not reasonable. Binsfeld Law Firm can now take action to demand that USCIS make a decision on those cases. Please call or message us if you are interested in having Binsfeld Law Firm assess your case.

10/21/2022

"Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. Only individuals who are already residing in the United States as of October 20, 2022 will be eligible for TPS" -USCIS

The U.S. government on Friday granted Temporary Protected Status for 18 months for Ethiopians currently residing in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security said.

08/02/2022

Binsfeld Law Firm, in conjunction with the Ojala-Barbour Law Firm (https://www.facebook.com/ojalabarbourlaw), helped bring about a USCIS policy change for foreign nationals applying for military naturalization! Our client is now a U.S. citizen, and this new USCIS interpretation will help numerous other foreign nationals who have served in the U.S. military.

USCIS Updates Interpretation of “Under Honorable Conditions” for Military Naturalization:

"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is publishing an update to its Policy Manual to clarify that a current or former service member who received an uncharacterized discharge may be eligible for naturalization under sections 328 and 329 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA).

Previously, USCIS had interpreted the requirement for a separation “under honorable conditions” in INA 328 and INA 329 to require a separation characterized as either Honorable or General-Under Honorable Conditions. This policy guidance changes the USCIS interpretation of “under honorable conditions” to encompass Uncharacterized discharges as well as Honorable and General-Under Honorable Conditions discharges.

This interpretation aligns with a Department of Defense instruction on the interpretation of discharges and with a recent district court decision. This guidance will be effective upon publication of the Policy Manual update and will apply to all pending and future applications. Applicants whom USCIS previously denied can submit a new application without fee."

Immigration Attorneys in Minnesota

06/09/2022

Binsfeld Law Firm launched a new website this week. Check it out here:

People immigrate to the United States for many reasons: for work or a career, to reunite with family members, or simply to find a peaceful and secure life. Regardless of their circumstances, all have one thing in common: they must navigate a complex immigration system before they can achieve their g...

06/06/2022

Update: It has been reported that USCIS expects to process most pending employment-based AOS cases by the end of the fiscal year (Sept 30). We recommend filing AOS cases or doing a transfer of underlying basis as soon as possible.

03/03/2022

The U.S. Government has announced Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians. In order to qualify, you must have resided in the U.S. since March 1, 2022. Call us for additional information.

03/02/2022

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we understand that many people have questions about immigration options for Ukrainian friends and family. Although no special U.S. immigration procedures or programs have been announced yet for Ukraine, Binsfeld Law Firm is happy to talk about options for individuals who have left or are attempting to leave Ukraine or any other conflict area around the world. To speak with an immigration attorney, please call 612-800-4911 or email [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you.