Nelson A. Castillo More than 300,000 requests for deferred action have been submitted since the USCIS opened the deadline to initiate the process. According to figures provided Friday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), this government agency has received a total of 308,935 requests between August 15 and November 15, 2012. Of that figure, the ... Read more
In my column this week in La Opinión I explain why undocumented immigrants must pay income taxes and what they must do to initiate the process. Paying taxes is required by law and our responsibility for the right to live in the United States. Every person, including undocumented immigrants, must file their income tax return ... Read more
Last Saturday was the last day to register for the visa lottery for fiscal year 2014. The registration period for Diversity Visas was held this year from October 2 to November 3, 2012. Lottery winners will only be able to find out if they won on May 1, 2012, and will be able to find out if they won ... Read more
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested a Tijuana man allegedly posing as an immigration attorney. Alberto Rodrigo Garcia, 50, of Tijuana, Mexico, was arrested yesterday at the Otay Mesa port of entry ... Read more
The Lancaster Immigration Court, located in the Mira Loma Center in California, will close its doors on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) today announced the closure, which is due to the expiration of the lease agreement between the federal government and the Department ... Read more
Although the deferred action program only provides temporary protection for certain undocumented youth, it is a great benefit that should not be missed. In my La Opinión column this week, I explain why you should apply for deferred action if you are eligible. After a very slow start, the processing of deferred action requests for undocumented youth has been expedited. Already ... Read more
Almost every day I get questions from people who want to know when the provisional pardon for the punishment law will go into effect. The reality is that the government has not yet announced a date. As soon as it is announced, I will inform you immediately. This week in my column in La Opinión, I answer ... Read more
They started slow, but it appears that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made progress in processing deferred action cases. According to information released today by USCIS, 179,794 requests for deferred action have been received. A total of 4,591 cases have been approved and another 6,416 are under review. This is a large increase, as ... Read more
This week in my La Opinión column I answer a reader's question about a very important issue for the immigrant community: the misuse of immigration consultants for legal advice. I went to an immigration consultant in Los Angeles who promised to help me fix my papers. I paid him thousands of dollars but ... Read more
In an unprecedented decision, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano issued an order to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that it must include same-sex couples in a long-term relationship within the definition of familial relationship. In a letter to members of Congress, Napolitano told them ... Read more
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