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Withholding of Removal: Explained

An immigrant who faces a credible fear of persecution in their country of origin may be eligible to obtain asylum protection in the United States. Although asylum is the most well known immigration options for people who face imminent danger in their native country, it is not the only option that is currently available under…

What to Do If You Received a Notice to Appear (NTA) Without a Date, Time, or Location

A Notice to Appear (NTA) is an official document that states that the United States government is initiating removal proceedings against an immigrant. If you received one, you will be instructed to appear in immigration court. However, shockingly, ICE has not always told people the date and time of their court date within their NTA.…

How to Handle the New USCIS INFOPASS System

Back in the good ol’ days (circa 2016), if you had a question about your immigration case pending at USCIS or needed an I-551 stamp in your passport to show that you were a lawful permanent resident, you could simply go online to the website of USCIS and schedule an INFOPASS appointment at your local…

Getting a Green Card with a Marijuana Possession Case

The stigma around weed is going away-especially in California, home to the first legal dispensary. More and more states are legalizing pot for personal or medical use. Even before weed was legalized, a marijuana conviction wasn’t significant in many states. It often just involved receiving and paying a citation, sort of like a speeding ticket.…

I Received a Request for Evidence (RFE) From USCIS — What Should I Do?

If United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) needs more information to proceed with an immigration application, it will send out a letter called a ‘Request for Evidence (RFE)’. If you received an RFE, it is normal to be stressed out, confused, and even frightened. At this time, it is essential that you know how…

Green Card Holders Denied US Citizenship for Marijuana Jobs

Marijuana laws are in a state of flux. According to information from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), recreational marijuana is legal, in some form, in approximately a dozen U.S. states, including in California. However, marijuana remains strictly illegal under federal law. While the cannabis industry is growing rapidly, the federal prohibition on marijuana…

Immigration to the United States vs. Other Countries

The ‘New Colossus’, a poem by Emma Lazarus, is engraved on the base of the Statue of Liberty. Its most famous line, declaring to the world that America is ready to accept the “huddled masses” who are “yearning to breathe free”, has long been referenced to show America’s appreciation of immigrants. There is no doubt…

Catch & Release: What Does it Mean?

‘Catch and release’ is the colloquial (slang) name of a long-time U.S. immigration enforcement protocol. Essentially, the policy simply allows those who have been accused of immigration violations to be released in the interim period while they are waiting to go before an immigration judge. Politically, catch and release has become an extremely controversial issue.…

Common Jobs Held By Immigrants in the United States

Recently, Voice of America (VOA) produced a series of maps and charts that showed the wide variety of jobs that are commonly held by immigrants throughout the country. VOA put together this information using a study conducted by the Minnesota Population Center. One particularly interesting map displays the most common job held by immigrants in…

Applying for Citizenship? 9 Things You Need to Know

If you’re a green card holder and you’ve been living in the Los Angeles area for a few years, you may be thinking about applying to become a U.S. citizen. As you start to look into it, you may be thinking to yourself, what does the process look like? What are the common problems people…