ERM Immigration Law, PLLC

04/30/2026

Have you noticed a slowdown or a downgrade in the status of your case? We have. It is likely due to a new vetting process that the government has implemented. While slow to schedule, interviews are happening. Post-interview decision timelines are becoming much longer as well. Looks like we need to reach down deep and find more patience. Eventually, we'll get there!

According to AILA Doc. No. 26042805:
On April 27, 2026, American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA) members began reporting that USCIS field and asylum offices across the country were notifying applicants and attorneys that adjudications were subject to a hold. Reports indicated that this was impacting adjustment of status cases and asylum cases, but that it could be a much broader hold impacting all USCIS adjudications.

Although USCIS has not yet officially announced this public hold, AILA has learned through various credible sources that this hold is as a result of a new security vetting process that took effect on April 27, 2026. The new vetting process will require fingerprints to be resubmitted for almost all pending cases (with the possible exception for Naturalization applicants with scheduled oath ceremonies) for which fingerprints were previously submitted for FBI checks prior to April 27, 2026. Once those cases have completed the updated vetting process, new cases would be submitted for fingerprint checks. It is unclear how long of a delay this new process will cause or how many applications are impacted.

06/12/2025

It's that time of year again. Please vote for us in the best of the PNW so we can keep our #1 spot - you can vote once per day until voting closes! Thanks!

Vote once per day from June 9 through June 27.

04/30/2025

**Temporary Pause on Social Security Card for New Applicants and Naturalized Citizens**

UPDATE: Social Security Cards may no longer Be AUTOMATICALLY mailed to EAD or Naturalization Applicants.

You will still get a social security number, but you may need to go to SSA field office to get it.

An unpublished internal memo from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), seems to indicate that the SSA has temporarily paused its Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program which was responsible for automatically issuing Social Security numbers and cards to people who applied for EADs, Green Cards, and Naturalization. The program has been part of an agreement between the SSA and USCIS to automatically issue cards for efficiency and convenience for both SSA and applicants.

According to the unpublished memo, “noncitizens granted work authorization” who have filed Form I-765 and “newly naturalized U.S. citizens” who have filed Form N-400 has been “temporarily” frozen.

SSA will continue to process cards automatically for applicants for adjustment of status whose I-485 applications are approved.

The new SSA policy also pauses the program for newly naturalized citizens. Although N-400 applicants typically already have a social security number, the program automatically updated SSA with name changes and citizenship status without visiting an SSA field office. Now, you may need to go in person to update this during the "pause."

USCIS has not announced this update. In addition, SSA has not publicly announced. We do not know how long the pause is for for certain, but a minimum of 90 days is expected

What does this mean for you? Current policy is to contact a Social Security field office if you do not receive a SS card within 14 days of receiving your benefit approval. We still recommend following this guidance, or you can go to field office sooner if you didn't want to wait.

02/17/2025

Navigating the complexities of family immigration can be daunting, especially now, but not with the experts at ERM Immigration! As family immigration law specialists in Seattle, we're dedicated to guiding you through the process with compassion and expertise.

Recently, the most frequent question I have been getting has been: What changes do we expect in immigration? Based on our prior experience with the Trump administration and changes in both public and private attitudes toward immigration, I expect there to be three significant changes at this time. It might surprise you that changes in the actual law are not one of them. The law, for example, the Immigration and Nationality Act, is enacted by Congress. It controls who and how many immigrants we can allow into the US and for what reasons. It must go through Congress to be changed or superseded by another law. This won't be easy. The policy is how a law is interpreted under any particular administration to achieve its goals. It doesn't need any permission from other branches of government to enact it so long as it is within the bounds of the law. You cannot bend policy so much that it breaks the law. This can be a fine line under any administration. I expect a lot of changes to policy, some of which may go too far and result in what would be considered a change in law. If that happens, courts will decide the legality.

So what do we expect? The most significant expectations for change to USCIS adjudicated cases (not cases in EOIR/court or ICE enforcement) will be (1) longer processing times, (2) fewer channels to communicate with the government when there is an error on their part, and (3) more stringent policy and interpretation of the law.

Over the weekend, many US Department of Homeland Security employees were laid off. Of the 400 employees let go, approximately 50 were at USCIS. Of those, 40 were officers handling applications for legal immigration, and 10 handled technology. This will contribute to our first and second predictions: getting your application adjudicated quickly or connecting with the government will be more difficult.

For the third prediction, there hasn’t been enough time to see those changes. So far, we have not observed much difference in adjudication. Even so, with timelines getting longer and the government surely getting tighter on immigration, now is not the time to attempt your applications without an attorney.

Whether you're seeking a visa, citizenship, or reuniting with loved ones, our team of seasoned attorneys is here to ensure your journey is smooth and successful. Trust us to handle the legal intricacies so you can focus on what matters most - building a life together. 💫

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01/23/2025

BREAKING: A stay has been ordered halting the clearly unconstitutional Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour issued the stay on Thursday in the case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon, arguing that the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court case law have cemented birthright citizenship.

"I’ve been on the bench for over four decades," Judge Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee, said. "I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order."

We must wait and see what happens next as the matter progresses through the courts. But, for now, the 14A stands, and the law is unaffected.

01/23/2025

If getting a COVID-19 vaccine has been holding you back from Adjusting your Status, good news! Effective Jan. 22, 2025, USCIS is waiving any and all requirements that applicants for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident present documentation on their Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that they received the COVID-19 vaccination. USCIS will not issue any Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny related to proving a COVID-19 vaccination. USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status application based on the applicant’s failure to present documentation that they received the COVID-19 vaccination.

You still MUST comply with all other vaccination and health requirements.

01/21/2025

Executive Orders (EO) cannot rewrite the highest law of the land. AG Brown, with others joining, will demonstrate that we do not live in a dictatorship and the Constitution is meaningful. The EO is said to take effect in 30 days but likely will have an injunction before then. An injunction stays (halts) any action temporarily while the EO moves through the court systems. If an EO is lawful, it is still not permanent and can be undone by the next president. The EO issued yesterday does not end all terrestrial birthright citizenship but ends this right, codified in our Constitution's 14th Amendment, if the child is not born to a legal permanent resident or at least one citizen (among other factors). Terrestrial means born on United States land.

The president’s executive order claiming to end birthright citizenship in the United States is plainly illegal. Washington State will not abide such harmful and unjust action. That’s why today we’re leading a lawsuit with Oregon, Arizona and Illinois to stop it.

Read more here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-brown-challenges-unconstitutional-order-birthright-citizenship

10/24/2024

Immigrants do not increase crime. This has been shown in study after study. "Between 1980 and 2022, the immigrant share of the U.S. population more than doubled, from 6.2% to 13.9%, while the total crime rate dropped by 60.4%, from 5,900 crimes per 100,000 people to 2,335 crimes per 100,000 people. Specifically, the violent crime rate fell by 34.5% and the property crime rate fell by 63.3%." (AIC). Immigrants actually commit far fewer crimes than US-born individuals, and undocumented immigrants are half as likely to commit crimes as US citizens. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2014704117

We make use of uniquely comprehensive arrest data from the Texas Department of Public Safety to compare the criminality of undocumented immigrants ...

09/25/2024

The votes are in! We are thrilled to announce that ERM Immigration Law, PLLC, was selected as the people's choice for the #1 BEST IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM and #3 BEST LAW FIRM in the Pacific Northwest. We are truly honored. Thank you to everyone who voted and to our clients for making us .

We look forward to continuing our top-notch legal services to the communities, families, and businesses of the Pacific Northwest and the globe for years to come. Thank you, PNW! !

08/28/2024

UPDATE "Keeping Families Together" (KFT): On Aug. 26, 2024, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, in Texas v. Department of Homeland Security, issued an administrative stay, preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting parole in place under Keeping Families Together for 14 days.

To comply with the district court’s administrative stay, USCIS will, until further notice:

1. Not grant any pending parole in place requests under Keeping Families Together.
2. Continue to accept filings of Form I-131F, Application for Parole in Place for Certain Noncitizen Spouses and Stepchildren of U.S. Citizens.
3. Continue to schedule biometric appointments and capture biometrics at Application Support Centers (ASCs).

What is a stay? A stay is a legal term for "pause." A court issues temporary stays to stop a legal proceeding for a short period of time to determine whether something done, in this case by the Government, is illegal or harmful.

Here, the question is whether the new program goes beyond the scope of policy (which is not law) to the point of being a new law (which is not policy). Laws must be written and approved by the House and Senate and then signed into law by the president. Policy can be made by the presidential administration through existing laws only. A similar program to KFT exists, and the courts will decide if this expansion of law is a policy or too broad and should be considered a new law. If so, lawmakers must follow the regular law-making process to make KFT valid. If they decide it is too broad, then the program will be terminated or placed in a more permanent stay until it works its way through the courts.

What does this mean for your application? You can continue to submit applications, and we encourage people to continue to apply and gather documentation to support their application. But, during the stay they cannot be approved.

07/31/2024

Thinking of popping the question? Congratulations, you're in love! Now what? Before you get married, it is time to reconsider the Fiance or K-1 Visa over a Spouse Visa. In the last year, we've seen processing times for the I-129F, Petition for Alien Fainace(e), the first step to your K-1 Visa, go from over 12 months to under two months! This difference is even more dramatic than in 2022, when it took 16 months for your I-129F to be approved. Until recently, the I-129F and the I-130 took about the same amount of time for the initial approval. Now, the I-130, the first step toward your Spouse Visa (IR/CR1), takes about 10-13 months to be approved in most cases. The I-129F is now trending toward only a handful of months until approval.

While there are benefits to each option, before now, with similar processing times, the K-1 was not as attractive because it took as long as the Spouse Visa. The main benefit of a K-1 has historically been getting together in the US sooner. For several years, that wasn't the case, but now, with a much shorter I-129F processing time, you and your partner may want to consider the significant time savings of the K-1 visa over a Spouse Visa. If you are unmarried and you have physically met with your fiance in the last two years, you can start your process today. We are happy to discuss the pros and cons of each process and which might be better for you. # ImmigraitonLawyer