I have a small law practice. A minuscule fraction of the cases that the San Diego USCIS district handles are my cases. When, in one week several mistakes come across my desk (not just my cases, but people coming to consult), I seriously wonder if the immigration laws are too complex for the agency to administer. That is not necessarily a dig at USCIS, but all bureaucracies that must handle laws that are updated all the time creating new policies…

An opportunity appears and you can bet someone is around to take advantage of it. USCIS acknowledged that the asylum program is hugely backlogged. It posted the filing dates of applications that are currently being processed at the Asylum Offices around the country.  The Los Angeles Asylum Office is now processing asylum cases filed in August 2011. What this means is that a person who filed an asylum interview more than four years ago will just now get his interview….

Here’s a tip for anyone filling out immigration forms. When answering the questions about whether you have ever done certain things, if you have, it is probably going to cause you problems. For example, when the State Department’s immigrant visa application form, the DS-260, asks: Do you seek to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activity while in the United States? expect that answering Yes will result in the denial of a visa. Similarly, after…

The New York Times last week decided to help its readers understand the legal status of the flood of Syrian refugees pouring into Europe with an article, “Migrant or Refugee? There Is a Difference, With Legal Implications.” The short article, meant to straighten out misconceptions, perpetuates them. This would not be so bad if it were some barely-read fringe blogger writing from a remote [sunny, temperate] American corner somewhere, but this is the New York Times! The article asks the…