YoU SCIS must be kidding me.

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

I remember a long time before I ever got involved in law, never mind immigration law, I heard a critique of the field – all immigration lawyers do is fill out forms and send them in for you. I remember, too, the words of a relative who “kindly” explained to my child that lawyers charge people lots of money to do simple things. Like almost anything that is said, it is sometimes true. In the case of immigration law it…

USCIS memo shows someone is trying to help.

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

An internal USCIS memo floats the idea of making some reforms at USCIS. I recall no other time when the immigration adjudications branch of the U.S. government has begun such a comprehensive analysis of its programs and policies. Some of what is contemplated is procedural in nature – such as reviewing all of USCIS’s policy memoranda to make sure they are internally coherent, publishing regulations to explain how certain laws should be implemented, and figuring out how to make certain programs,…

USCIS: Too big to not fail?

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

USCIS has a difficult job. It adjudicates immigration benefits. What makes the job difficult? First, the volume and scope of work. America is a large country and there are a lot of foreigners seeking lots of things – temporary visas, permanent residence visas, citizenship, work permits, travel permits, humanitarian entry into the United States, asylum, protections against deportation based on harsh conditions abroad, and on and on. The variety of different laws pertaining to each of these different types of…