K-1 Fiancé Visas Will Be Changing

Changes are coming! If you’re engaged to be married and are going through the K-1 Visa petition process, 2020 has been a rough year! During what should be one of the happiest times in your life preparing to get married, you’ve likely faced frustrating delays, problems at the National Visa Center, or consulates around the…

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How to Bring a Successful U Visa Petition in California

If you or your loved one was the victim of a crime, the U visa offers a potential form of immigration relief. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) describes a U visa as a type of nonimmigrant status that is available to certain crime victims who suffered significant trauma and provided assistance to…

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Delayed Asylum Decision – Would a Mandamus Lawsuit Be a Good Idea?

I’m Josh Goldstein. A lot of people know me because I file mandamus lawsuits to challenge visas that are delayed at consulates. That’s what I do as an immigration lawyer. Jump To: What’s A Reasonable Time To Wait For Asylum?, Should You Wait On Your Asylum Application?, Other Types of Visa Applications, Can You File…

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203(g) Visa Canceled – What Does It Really Mean?

I’m Josh Goldstein, an immigration lawyer based in Los Angeles, California. Today, I want to talk about a very important message that so many of my clients are getting about their 203(g) visas being canceled. Everybody is racing out to ask me questions about this. And chances are that you’ve been getting a very similar…

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DACA Alternatives: Immigration options after DACA ends

Trying to follow the news about DACA can give you whiplash. First, Donald Trump decided to end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), leaving some 800,000 young people without access to employment authorization and protection from deportation. Now it appears that Democrats and Trump may have reached a DACA Deal, which would make DACA the…

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Understanding Immigration Law: Is it a Bad Sign to Receive a Request for Evidence?

A Request for Evidence (RFE) is a type of document issued by the USCIS that seeks additional information from a petitioner/applicant. RFEs are relatively common. As an example, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that a Request for Evidence is issued in nearly 25 percent of H-1B visa petitions. If you just…

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Are Muslim Visa Applicants Dealing With Unfair Administrative Processing Delays?

Administrative processing is not something that’s exclusively for Muslims or people from majority Muslim countries. However, it does feel that way because so many of my clients are from Muslim countries or are Muslim. I think part of the explanation for why so many people are stuck in administrative processing is that administrative processing is…

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Is Administrative Clearance The Same As Administrative Processing

Today, we’re talking about visa delays, 221G, and administrative processing. The question comes from one of the members of our Facebook group. It’s free to join and I’d encourage you to join if you’re interested in these sorts of things. The question says, “I am a petitioner green card holder. I filed for my spouse…

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How To Go From F-1 Visa Or OPT To Work Visa Or Green Card

How To Go From F-1 Visa Or OPT To Work Visa Or Green Card Let’s say you’re on an F-1 visa. You’re an international student, and you’re getting ready to start your OPT. Or perhaps you’re already on OPT, or your OPT may be about to end. Now you’re wondering what’s next in your immigration…

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2 Reasons Your Visa May Be In Administrative Processing

You may be wondering… Why was my visa put into administrative processing? Why was my visa delayed? Why was I given the 221(g) worksheet? My name’s Joshua Goldstein and I am an immigration lawyer. I help families across the country and around the world get their visas out of administrative processing. So why is your…

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