Clients

Other practical notes for past, present, and future immigration clients:

 

Public Charge rule of February 24, 2020

DHS Final Rule regarding Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds went in effect on February 24, 2020. The rule will apply to adjustment cases filed on or after that date.
DOS Final Rule regarding Public Charge went in effect on February 24, 2020, and it will apply to Consular Processing applicants that have not yet had a visa interview at the US Consulate overseas.

 

Timeline - Employment Authorization Document, Advance Parole, and Adjustment of Status applications during 2019:

All applicants who filed for EAD and AP simultaenously with the family-based adjustment of status cases during 2019, take notice that USCIS was backlogged and it was taking an average of 5 - 7 months to process EAD/AP applications and an average of 12 - 24 months to process adjustment of status applications.

 

Change your address within 10 days of moving within the United States:

All past, present and future clients who have not become U.S. Citizens yet: every time you move, you should change your address with USCIS within 10 days of your move. If The Woodlands Immigration Attorney is handling a case for you and the case is still pending, email the attorney with your old and new address and the attorney will change your address free of cost, for all your pending applications and petitions. If you have no pending immigration case, then you should change the address by clicking Change of Address.

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Review and print your I-94 online:

All clients and potential clients who have a case for filing (except for natualization cases) and are currently in the United States, will need to retrieve the I-94 card online for the last entry into the United States as attorney will need to review it before a consultation or before preparing and filing the case. You can retrieve your I-94 for your last entry or your travel history of U.S. arrivals and departures by clicking I-94 Online.

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Travelling after receiving your green card:

If you are going to travel outside of the United States after receiving your green card, you will still use your passport from your home country to travel to other countries (and you will need to research if those countries require you to obtain a visa). When you return to United States, you will use your passport and your green card to re-enter USA (you will not need a visa). Keep all your trips abroad shorter than 6 months. You should not remain outside of USA longer than 1 year if you did not receive a re-entry permit before you left USA. If you have a residence abroad and you are concerned that you will have trips longer than 6 months, or if your work dictates that you stay outside of USA longer than 1 year, contact this office to get assistance with filing and obtaining a re-entry permit (if eligible).

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Clients with upcoming naturalization interviews:

For those current and future clients who have upcoming naturalization interviews with USCIS, it is important for you to review your entire immigration history prior to filing your case and again prior to the date of your interview. Since the administration change, Houston USCIS office is reviewing all of your immigration history before your interview and might be asking you questions regarding your case when you became a permanent resident. If your green card was obtained through your marriage and you used either grandfathering or waivers (when spouse entered without a visa) to overcome the unlawful presence ground of inadmissibility, you need to review your paperwork filed even if your case was filed a decade ago (if that is when you became a permanent resident), and you should be able to articulate how you became a permanent resident.

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Immigration Resources

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Check your case status  

USCIS processing time
Change your Address
NVC    
Visa Bulletin    
Study for Naturalization Test  

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