Nelson A. Castillo 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
This week in my column in La Opinión, I explain what legal residents and naturalized U.S. citizens must do to obtain public benefits. Before you can receive a public benefit such as a Social Security card, Medicaid, food stamps or even a driver's license, the government agencies that grant these benefits must verify the ... Read more
Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday signed a bill (AB 2189) that will authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue California driver's licenses to thousands of young undocumented immigrants who are approved for the deferred action program. The Governor's action is important because, as currently stipulated, it requires ... Read more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that federal immigration law gives priority to children of legal residents who became adults while waiting years for a visa. This ruling is not final, but if affirmed, it could change the situation for thousands of children of legal residents. For years, the ... Read more
One of the ways to obtain permanent residency in the United States is through the diversity visa program. Each year, the U.S. Department of State holds a lottery for these visas, which is commonly known as the visa lottery. These visas are given to people from countries ... Read more
This week in my column in La Opinión, I explain what undocumented young people who were approved for deferred action must do to obtain important documents to work in this country. More than 82,300 undocumented young people submitted requests for deferred action to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from August 15 to ... Read more
This week in my column in La Opinión I answer the question of a reader interested in knowing about the process of a family petition after submitting an application. Here I provide a general answer to their doubts. Each case is different, so you should consult an attorney for personalized legal advice. I am ... Read more
This week in my La Opinión column, I answer questions from readers who have doubts about acquiring permanent residency in the United States. The government rejected my application for permanent residency because I passed myself off as a U.S. citizen in the past. My wife and two children are U.S. citizens. I have never had any problems ... Read more
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