We are all expecting great things, and in the first 2 days, Mr. President signed nearly 20 executive actions.  Many targeting course-correcting the horrid immigration policies of the previous Administration.  Stay tuned.

In compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is:

• Accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
• Accepting DACA renewal requests based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
• Accepting applications for advance parole documents based on the terms of the DACA policy prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order;
• Extending one-year grants of deferred action under DACA to two years; and
• Extending one-year employment authorization documents under DACA to two years.

USCIS will take appropriate steps to provide evidence of the one-year extensions of deferred action and employment authorization documents under DACA to individuals who were issued documentation on or after July 28, 2020, with a one-year validity period under the defunct policy.

DHS will comply with the order while it remains in effect, but DHS may seek relief from the order.
https://www.uscis.gov/
Contact us today to scheduled your appointment!

Interesting exceptions to Trump's RECENT Immigration Ban "the executive order also includes several exceptions, most notably for the spouses and minor children of American citizens, people overseas who had already obtained visas, and those applying for an adjustment of their status who are already in the U.S. It also will not apply to health care workers seeking to fight COVID-19 in the U.S., nor military personnel or wealthy entrepreneurs promising to create jobs.

And it allows entry to those seeking temporary visas, such as farm workers and students — though the order stipulates that the status of these “non-immigrant visas” applications could be reconsidered after a month to “ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of U.S. workers.”
Source: TMP posted 4/23/2020

And the Angles are smiling: "The Trump administration on Monday extended temporary protected status for thousands of Salvadorans in the United States, granting them reprieve from removal to El Salvador."

​Los Angeles Times, 10/28/2019

F2A Preference Category is CURRENT! What does this mean? If you are a Green Card holder and have a spouse or child (legal present) in the USA, you can sponsor them for their own Green Card in one-step! No longer will you have to file the Form I-130 first, then wait 1, 2, 3 years to wait for the next step.

Here's a great article from the Law Offices of Carl Shusterman (Note: Do not take this announcement as legal guidance. Please contact an experienced immigration attorney to help you ALL immigration matters.)
https://www.shusterman.com/family-2a-category-current/

Recently, I reiterated my usual refrain to a client:

"Well, as you know I may not be fast, but I try to get things done right."

My client rephrased this by saying:  "Well, yes, you are meticulous."

Meticulous.  I like this word.  In Spanish it is "Meticulosa," and I am going to use this to explain my process to new and existing clients from here on out.

Why does this matter?
In my humble opinion, we, sadly, have entered into a time when forgiveness and benefit of the doubt no longer exist with immigration processing.  Requests for Evidence (RFEs) letters for a forgotten document readily available is no longer the case; your application may simply just be rejected or denied because you failed to include a prior divorce decree or a birth certificate. In the past, USCIS would simply ask (via RFE) for the clearly missing item). 

Attorneys and preparers must take additional time to ensure that all of our i's are dotted and t's are crossed. We should be doing this anyway.

So, yes, I take a bit more time on the front end of case in effort to avoid negative outcomes on the back end such as delayed processing, an RFE letter, or forbid a rejection or denial. 

Often times, clients are in a rush, and some may ask  "Why is taking so long?" or "Can't you just mail the forms without the evidence?"  or "Do we really need everything that you're asking for?"

Yes.  If I ask for it, we need it.  Yes, I tend to take more time because, I am proud to say, I am meticulous.

My attention to detail, slow to act, and preference to research, review, and re-read has been a trait that some prior supervisors, loved ones, and friends might have considered annoying.

But Guess What?
Spiller-Reddick Immigration Law, PLLC has a 100% approval rate for investor clients and 95%+ approval rates for family-based and military-based cases. 
Being meticulous works for my clients.  

If you would like to schedule a consult with a Meticulous Immigration Attorney please call 540-300-2991.  

From the New York Times:
"A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Trump administration from ending special protections for immigrants from four countries devastated by war and natural disaster, temporarily relieving more than 300,000 people from the threat of deportation.

Immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan — some of whom have spent two decades in the United States — cheered Wednesday’s decision to retain the program, which was signed into law in 1990 by President George Bush. The program includes more than 263,000 Salvadorans, almost 59,000 Haitians, more than 5,000 Nicaraguans and more than 1,000 Sudanese, according to the court.

The judge, Edward M. Chen, did not rule on the merits of the case. But in the injunction, he said the beneficiaries, if deported, “indisputably will suffer irreparable harm and great hardship,” many having to choose between bringing their American-born children with them or splitting their families apart.

The injunction was another instance of a judge using President Trump’s own words on immigration against him. Judge Chen cited comments in the president’s speeches and Twitter posts as evidence of an “animus against nonwhite, non-European immigrants.” He wrote that there was “circumstantial evidence of race being a motivating factor.”
​Oct. 4, 20118, Go to: https://nyti.ms/2O7GmUV