News and publications

Effective October 2, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is increasing its processing fees for a wide range of immigration petitions and applications. For example, the application fees for filing Form I-130, Petition for...

WASHINGTON – The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications Monday to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. Temporary exemptions for the fall 2020...

We would like to alert our clients that USCIS is taking a new approach to the definition of what constitutes ‘unauthorized employment’ in the United States. Unauthorized employment is any service or labor performed for an employer within or outside...

The State Department has defined the scope of the jurisdiction of LegalNet (LegalNet@State.gov). LegalNet is an email service provided by the Department of State to attorneys for submitting a request for review for visa denials at US Consulates and...

The Trump Administration is proposing a change in the guidelines for issuing visas at US Consulates and Embassies to women potentially pregnant to end them entering to give birth in the US.  The details of the new law will become public shortly but its...

President Trump is considering the expansion of his travel ban to citizens of Syria, Yemen, Iran, Libya, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela. Countries the President intends to extend the restrictions to are, Belarus, Myanmar (also known as Burma),...

USCIS has announced that it will permanently close its field offices in Lima Peru, and Frankfurt, Germany, on January 31, 2020. For more information on all USCIS Field Office closures abroad, please visit the link below:...

USCIS announced that the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Iran was terminated. Consequently, Iranian nationals do not qualify any more to apply for E-1 and E-2 treaty investor’s visa or extend their current visas. The...

On Monday February 24, 2020, the USCIS began implementing the PUBLIC CHARGE Rule, which affects all immigrants applying for green cards or adjustment of status, change of status, and those seeking to extend their visas within the US. There are a few...

Greyhound, the nation’s largest intercity bus company has decided not to allow US Border Patrol Agents to conduct searches of its patrons on its buses, unless an agent(s) has a court issued warrant for the search.  The practice has been for the...

President Trump’s new travel ban that went into effect on January 31, 2020, has hit immigrant communities and the nations affected with panic, uncertainty, outrage, fear and hopelessness. Families are not sure of how long they will have to wait to be...

The State Department has provided new guidelines for exchange visitors (J-1), currently in the US legally because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus.  Under the guidelines, the USCIS may under extreme circumstances, extend or change the status of...

Beginning Wednesday March 18, 2020, USCIS is suspending all regular in-person services, including application/petition interviews until at least April 1, 2020, in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. There is an allowance for limited...

Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) has announced the suspension of enforcements – arrests, detentions and deportations across the U.S. temporarily, due to the coronavirus outbreak. ICE will for in the meantime, focus its attention on...

Staring March 18, 2020, the ICE Baltimore Field Office has suspended and cancelled all in-person check-in appointments until May 1, 2020.  The office however, stresses that those affected should check-in at their usual reporting locations if they do not...

The Immigration Court in Baltimore, MD, has beginning March 18, 2020 – April 10, 2020, stop adjudicating all Individual Hearings, and will reschedule all the cases scheduled for hearing with the period for future dates.  All Master Calendar...

Student visa holders always had a right to apply for a work permit if experiencing exceptional and serious economic difficulties due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. Examples of circumstances include, but are not limited to: Unexpected...

We remind our clients that we also offer such legal services as preparing Medical Powers of Attorney, Wills, Trusts, and Guardianship paperwork. Having such documents on hand will protect you and your loved ones from unexpected and will help you...

National Capital Legal Services, Inc. wants to remind all our clients that our practice is not focused only on Immigration Law. We provide broad legal services in several other areas of the law including: * Bankruptcy (individual & business)      ...

In response to the coronavirus concerns, the Alexandria Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has continued or suspended all scheduled Creditors meetings in all Divisions of this Court until March 31, 2020....

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suspended travel into the US from Canada and Mexico through US ports of entry by land or at entry points where US Customs Enforcement will inspect travelers at or near the borders. The reason is to...

The US Department of State has new directives relating to foreign nationals already issued US immigrant visas but cannot travel to the US, because of the coronavirus travel restrictions affecting citizens of many countries. Typically, US immigrant visas...

The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has announced new directives regarding some foreign nationals present in the US on Visa Waiver Program (VWP) / Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) because of the coronavirus outbreak. Acceptable reasons...

The US states government and congress yesterday passed a historic coronavirus relief bill aimed at alleviating the potential economic hardship the shutdown from the virus is causing to workers and the US economy. The bill provides for expanded benefits...