Palmer Polaski Blog

While the Keeping Family’s Together Program remains on hold, many eligible applicants would be wise to pursue collateral alternatives, including the provisional unlawful presence waiver (Form I-601A). An approved immigrant visa petition gives a foreign national a path to legal permanent residence. However, the process is not so simple for people who entered the United […]

On August 19, 2024, DHS began accepting applications for the Biden Administration’s new “Keeping Families Together” program, allowing parole-in-place for certain spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens. However, at the time of publication of this newsletter, the program remains in uncertain status. The parole-in-place application is made on Form I-131F and must be filed online. […]

Illegal Entries at Southern Border Significantly Down: Illegal entries, based on border arrests, were lower in July of 2024 than former President Trump’s last month in office. Border patrol encounters along the Southwest border have dropped by 50 percent since February 2024. LPR Cards Auto Extended to 36 Months Based on I-90 Filing: Effective Sept. […]

Lawful permanent residents (LPRs) in the United States, i.e.,  green card holders, enjoy many benefits and privileges. For instances, they may reside indefinitely, work in the United States, can file immigration petitions on behalf of spouses and unmarried children, may travel outside of the United States, and can receive Social Security benefits upon retirement. While […]

In Department of State v. Muñoz, the United States Supreme Court issued a disappointing 6-3 landmark ruling, upholding consular non-reviewability, which gives consular officers significant authority to issues decisions without judicial oversight. The decision also held that U.S. citizens’ constitutional rights do not extend to challenging spousal visa denials, and limits their ability to present […]

USCIS recently announced a final rule on April 29, 2024, aiming to clarify the requirements for obtaining T nonimmigrant status (T visa) and ensuring that those who are eligible as victims of human trafficking can access the necessary protections and benefits. The T visa is an important safeguard that can provide legal status for noncitizens […]

USCIS selected 114,017 unique beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected H-1B registrations during the initial FY 2025 H-1B Lottery. This represents a selection rate of approximately 25.6 percent. While this is an increase in the percentage of selections from the previous year, where the selection rate was roughly 14.6 percent, it still means that the vast […]

For an additional filing fee, certain applicants seeking certain employment-based visas and change of status to certain nonimmigrant visa classifications can file for expedited adjudication. Disappointingly, in conjunction with the April 1, 2024 filing fee increase, USCIS made a significant change to premium processing requests, promising adjudication of certain eligible applications in business days, rather […]

As of May 22, 2024, USCIS has updated its policy manual regarding certain aspects of Form I-130 and Form I-360, including how the agency corrects approval notice errors, requests for consular processing or adjustment of status on the beneficiary’s behalf, and routing procedures for approved petitions. Previously, when petitions did not clearly state a preference, […]

Facing intense political pressure as a result of enforcement policies, and after the failure of bipartisan legislation to address border security, President Biden issued a proclamation on June 4, 2024, intending to strengthen border security, restrict asylum eligibility, and increase the consequences for those who enter without authorization on the southern border. The proclamation gives […]