Immigration

The White House recently announced and reiterated their initiatives for streamlining the process for legal immigration and assisting those who wish to immigrate to America.

The U.S. Administration has been vocal in its efforts to promote legal citizenship and to encourage newcomers to fully integrate to their new communities. Recognizing the past contributions of those immigrants that have come to America, the U.S. Administration is eager to promote programs that will assist immigrants in becoming citizens legally and to provide programs that will further advance the unique and important skills of immigrants, which have been a vital part of the economic engine of America.

Immigration attorney Katie DeGrio Channing chats with WCCO News reporter Jason DeRusha about current immigration law.  With President Obama recently announcing a push for immigration reform, there may be new opportunities for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status.  Click "Read More" below to watch the video.  

Starting March 4, 2013, certain immigrants can apply for a provisional waiver of inadmissibility (to forgive their illegal or unlawful entry into the United States) before they must depart the United States to appear at the Consulate or Embassy in their home country to obatin an immigrant visa. 

Minnesota has always been an area that has thrived on the contributions of immigrants. Immigrant-owned businesses in Minnesota employ approximately 21,000 workers and generate sales and receipts to the tune of $2.2 billion. Concordia University economist, Bruce Corrie, has calculated that in Minnesota, Asian-Americans and Latinos have accounted for approximately $7 billion in purchases annually. Along with the economic benefits from immigrants, there are also immense cultural benefits that add to the rich diversity of the communities within Minnesota.

On August 15, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security opened up the application process for the "Deferred Deportation for Childhood Arrivals" program. This policy stems from the recent policies of the Obama Administration attempting to assist illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as young children. Essentially, the program offers a temporary reprieve from deportation to their home country in the form of a 2-year work visa for those who are under the age of 31. These individuals must also have a high school diploma and must prove that they do not have a criminal record.

Just 3 days after the opening of this application process, the Immigration Law Center of Minnesota held a community meeting at Green Central Park School in south Minneapolis to discuss the recently enacted application process. It was expected that only 200-300 people would show up to learn more about this program. However, as the meeting began there were more than 700 that filled the school gym...

Have questions about how the new DHS deferred action policy affects you?  Here are some answers to common questions about deferred action, prosecutorial discretion and the DREAM ACT. 

On June 4, 2012, two major changes took effect regarding the filing of Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility. Read our blog post to learn more. 

On June 15, 2012, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano issued a memorandum regarding exercising prosecutorial discretion with respect to individuals who came to the U.S. as children.

On January 6, 2012, USCIS announced a proposed change to the waiver of inadmissiblity, Form I-601, allowing immigrants to apply for this waiver before departing the United States.  The proposed change is aimed to help immediate relatives (spouses and children of U.S. citizens) avoid long processing delays in their home countries, thereby reuniting families sooner.

Being removed or deported from the United States can be a scary event for individuals and their family. In some cases however, there is an opportunity for an individual to apply for a waiver of the removal order and return to the United States.