The exploitation of minors for manual or any other form of labor is frowned upon in all developed countries. In the United States, child labor acts are put in place across all states to ensure the enactment of the child labor laws. There are various criteria that need to be met in order for a…
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What is a Non-Commercial Driver’s License
Having a valid driving license is one of the vital things to drive vehicles on US roads. Most people think that a driving license is all about bikes and cars only. In reality, there are many different kinds of motor vehicles that may require a special driving license, and driving with a valid license can…
How to Get Automatic Citizenship for Child ?
What is automatic citizenship? Automatic citizenship refers to the process by which certain children can acquire citizenship through their parents, but not at birth. Instead, a series of events occur that cause the child to become a U.S. citizen by operation of law. In fact, it is not unusual for a person to acquire U.S.…
The Child Status Protection Act
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a decision significantly affecting the interpretation of the Act; please see my blog post on this decision for more details. The “Age Out” Problem The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) is primarily intended to address the “age out” problem resulting from the Immigration and Nationality Act’s definition of a…
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) – Renewal Process Announced
Today, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the much-anticipated renewal process for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The process is effective immediately, which is important, because the first batch of DACA recipients will have their statuses expire in September of 2014. More details on the renewal process, and…
U.S. Supreme Court Restricts Reach of Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)
The U.S. Supreme Court today issued a decision that cuts off the derivative children of most preference category immigrants from one of the most valuable protections the Child Status Protection Act of 2002 (CSPA) offers qualifying children: the ability to retain their original priority dates once they “age out” based on the long waiting periods…
In Need of Roadside Assistance: The DMV, Non-citizens, and State ID
It was the best of times… On June 5, 2013, Colorado Governor Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 251, also known as SB-251, or, the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, a sensible measure allowing most non-citizens, whether or not in lawful status, to obtain a Colorado driver’s license. The point of the law was…
How to Read Visa Bulletin ?
What is the Visa Bulletin? Published each month, the Department of State’s visa bulletin announces the estimated waiting times for certain family and employment-based visa petitions. In other words, the visa bulletin will tell you how long the waiting line is for certain immigrant-visa categories and allow you to determine approximately where in line a…
Designer Immigration: Canada’s Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP)
When it comes to being a nation of immigrants, Canada walks the walk. For example: In 2011, non-citizen permanent residents accounted for 20% of Canada’s population, compared to just 12.5% in the U.S. Newly arrived immigrants account for about half of the country’s annual population growth; and, According to one study, Canadians tend to have…
Update on Stateside Waivers: Criminal Issues
On January 24, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new policy memorandum on stateside provisional (a.k.a. I-601A) waivers. This new guidance applies in cases where the applicant has a minor, criminal history. Previously, almost any significant criminal record would lead to a near automatic denial. Under the new policy announcement, however, certain…