Background on Process of Removal (Deportation) A person can be placed in removal proceedings (deportation proceedings) through any interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) or United States Citizenshi…
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Adjustment of status is the process of becoming a permanent resident in the United States. Immigrant visa consular processing is the process of becoming a permanent resident after obtaining an immigrant visa from abroad to come to the United States.…
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There are many things that can happen in a person’s background to prevent them from getting a visa or adjusting status in the United States. These events create inadmissibilities under the Immigration and Nationality Act and some grounds of inadmis…
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A person born in the United States is a United States citizen. Persons not born in the United States may still achieve citizenship if certain criteria are met. A person may be eligible for derivative citizenship through a family member. He or she may…
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T visas, for victims of human trafficking, and U visas, for victims of crime, are special nonimmigrant visas authorized by law under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. When this Act was passed, Immigrants First founder Lisa Shea was one…
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Refugee and Asylum Claims A refugee is defined as any person outside his or her country of nationality, or, in the case of a person having no nationality, his or her last habitual residence, who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable to u…
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There are many issues that arise for families experiencing domestic violence, and if a child or spouse is a foreign national there are additional considerations to be taken into account because of the vulnerability of their status. For urgent assista…
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Temporary protected status, or TPS, is available to those foreign nationals requiring a safe haven due to ongoing armed conflict or natural disasters in their country that have resulted in a disruption of living conditions. There must be extraordinar…
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Nonimmigrant visas are for temporary travel to the United States and generally require evidence of plans to return to the originating country. There are many reasons for temporary travel: study, business, tourism, temporary employment, exchange progr…
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent can self-petition for classification as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Such classification allows for a child to obtain lawful permanent re…
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A part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which is a sub-agency in the United States Department of Justice, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA or the Board), is the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immi…
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When an immigration case has been pending without a decision for an unreasonable amount of time, and no other course of action has led to a decision or timeline for a decision, a lawsuit against USCIS or other government agencies, might be your best…
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is for non-citizen minors who cannot be reunited with one or both of their parents due to abandonment, neglect, or abuse and for whom it is not in their best interest to be returned to their country of origin.…
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The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is the federal appellate court, which handles appeals of cases denied by the BIA but that had immigration court hearings in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. VFN Immigrants First is proud to announce that the…
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