Skip to main content
  
Cincinnati Immigration lawyer Christopher Pogue, Esq. - Ohio Attorney, Visas, Green Card, Citizenship, Marriage, Fiance(e) Law Office of Christopher M. Pogue, 810 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, usa immigration, ohio immigration, cincinnati immigration, immigration legal, best immigration lawyer, top immigration lawyer, the most reviewed and highest rated immigration attorney in the Tri-state - cases include - Marriage, K-1, Adjustment of Status, Consular Processing, Naturalization, Athletes, Entertainers, Investors, Employers, and Employees.Why hire an immigration attorney? Cincinnati Immigration Lawyer, Ohio Immigration Attorney Cincinnati Immigration Lawyer, Ohio Immigration Lawyer, K visa (Fiance(e), Marriage, Green Card, CitizenshipChristopher Pogue, Ohio lawyer, Cincinnati immigration attorney, visa, citizenship, Green Card, Marriage, Fiance(e)Family visas, Fiance visas, k-1, marriage visas, parent visas, I-130, I-485, Cincinnati Immigration Lawyer US Business visas, H1-B, PERM, Green Card, EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5, national interest waiverUseful immigration linksCincinnati Immigration Lawyer BlogContact us, Cincinnati Immigration Lawyer, Ohio Immigration Attorney
Thursday, March 19 2020

Suspension of Routine Visa Services

  • In response to worldwide challenges related to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Department of State is suspending routine visa services in most countries worldwide.  Embassies and consulates in these countries will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 18, 2020.  Check the website of the embassy or consulate for its current operating status.  As resources allow, embassies and consulates will continue to provide urgent and emergency visa services.
     
  • These Embassies will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time.  Although all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments are cancelled, the MRV fee is valid and may be used for a visa appointment in the country where it was paid within one year of the date of payment.
     
  • This does not affect the visa waiver program. 
     
  • Services to U.S. citizens continue to be available. More information is available on the Embassy’s website.
     
  • Applicants with an urgent matter and need to travel immediately should follow the guidance provided at the Embassy’s website to request an emergency appointment.
Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 11:28 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Wednesday, March 18 2020

To ensure the welfare and safety of the general public as well as officers and agents in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will temporarily adjust its enforcement posture beginning today, March 18, 2020. ICE's highest priorities are to promote life-saving and public safety activities.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) will focus enforcement on public safety risks and individuals subject to mandatory detention based on criminal grounds. For those individuals who do not fall into those categories, ERO will exercise discretion to delay enforcement actions until after the crisis or utilize alternatives to detention, as appropriate.

Homeland Security Investigations will continue to carry out mission critical criminal investigations and enforcement operations as determined necessary to maintain public safety and national security. Examples include investigations into child exploitation, gangs, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, human smuggling, and continued participation on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. This work will be conducted based on ability to coordinate and work with prosecutors from the Department of Justice and intake at both the U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons.

Consistent with its sensitive locations policy, during the COVID-19 crisis, ICE will not carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors' offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Individuals should not avoid seeking medical care because they fear civil immigration enforcement.

ICE does not conduct enforcement operations at medical facilities, except under extraordinary circumstances. Claims to the contrary are false and create unnecessary fear within communities. Individuals should continue to seek medical care.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 07:43 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Wednesday, March 18 2020

The United States and Canada have mutually agreed to close their border to non-essential traffic to stem the flow of the virus, President Trump said Tuesday.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 09:02 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Wednesday, March 18 2020

Effective March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is suspending in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This suspension of services will be effective until at least April 1. In the meantime, USCIS will provide limited emergency services. Please call the Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.

USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the office closure. You will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if your field office has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center.   

Education and precautions are the strongest tools against infection. Get the latest facts by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 website. Continue to practice good health habits, refrain from handshakes or hugs as greetings, and wash hands and clean surfaces appropriately.

USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance. Please also visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 07:17 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, March 17 2020

Use the following link to access all current USCIS closings for immigration interviews and biometrics appointments.

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 04:11 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, March 17 2020

U.S. Mission India posts, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, are cancelling immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments from March 16, 2020, onward.

Once Mission India resumes regular consular operations, appointments will be made available and you will be able to reschedule. Please see www.ustraveldocs.com/in  and in.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ for further information.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 08:04 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Sunday, March 15 2020

According to the latest update from USCIS:

If you become ill for any reason, regardless of whether you were exposed to COVID-19, please do not come to appointments with any USCIS office. Please follow the instructions on your appointment notice to reschedule your appointment or interview if you:

  • Have traveled internationally to any country outside the U.S. within 14 days of your appointment;
  • Believe that you may have been exposed to COVID-19 (even if you have not travelled internationally); or
  • Are experiencing flu-like symptoms (such as a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat or fever).

Visit CoronaVirus.gov for a complete list of CDC travel health notices. 

We will help you reschedule your appointment without penalty when you are healthy. See this page for more information: If You Feel Sick, Please Consider Canceling and Rescheduling Your USCIS Appointment.

Learn about the USCIS Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and more about the Department of Homeland Security’s response.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 04:36 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, November 08 2019

USCIS and Department of Homeland Security telephone numbers are being used in an ogoing scam to obtain personally identifiable information.

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (Ombudsman) is warning its stakeholders of reports that certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) telephone numbers, including the Ombudsman’s main telephone number, have been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country.

Spoofing is the deliberate falsifying of information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise an identity.

The scammers use various tactics, such as the threat of identity theft, to elicit sensitive information. Very little is known at this time, but please be aware that any government office should never ask for sensitive information over the telephone, such as Social Security numbers or credit card information.

USCIS uses only the following information to verify a caller:

  • Receipt Number.
  • Petitioner, Beneficiary, or Applicant - Name.
  • Petitioner, Beneficiary, or Applicant - Date of Birth.
  • Petitioenr, Beneficiary, or Applicant - Address. 

NEVER talk to anyone calling you from any government office over the phone that has called you, unless you have first called their office and you are expecting an immigration officer to return your call.

Any legitimate request from DHS will be sent by normal mail to you and a duplicate copy to your attorney. 

Here’s How the Scam Works Accorinding to USCIS:

A number appears on your caller ID that may look like a legitimate government number. When you answer, the person on the phone poses as a USCIS or other government official or law enforcement officer. The scammer will say that there is a problem with your application or additional information is required to continue the immigration process. Then, they will ask for personal and sensitive details and may demand payment to fix problems. The scammer may tell you to make a money transfer or go to a store to purchase a money order, voucher or make some other type of money exchange, payment or withdrawal. They may threaten you with deportation or other negative consequences if you do not pay. If you receive a call like that, we urge you to hang up immediately.

USCIS will never ask for any form of payment over the phone or in an email. If USCIS needs payment, they will mail a letter on official stationery requesting payment. Do not give payment over the phone to anyone who claims to be a USCIS official. 

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 07:46 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Monday, August 12 2019

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today (August 12, 2019) announced a final rule that clearly defines the long-standing public charge inadmissibility law.

DHS has revised the definition of public charge to better ensure that aliens subject to the public charge inadmissibility ground, found at section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), are self-sufficient. By law, in determining whether an alien is inadmissible under this ground, the government must at a minimum consider the alien’s age; health; family status; assets, resources, and financial status; and education and skills; and may consider any required affidavit of support.

The final rule defines the term public charge to mean an alien who receives one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months, in total, within any 36-month period. The rule further defines the term public benefit to include cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, and subsidized public housing.

This list of public benefits in the final rule is an exhaustive list with respect to non-cash benefits. However, cash benefits for income maintenance may include a variety of general purpose means-tested cash benefits provided by federal, state, local, or tribal benefit granting agencies, and only public benefits specifically listed in the rule will be considered. Public benefits not listed in the rule are not considered in the public charge inadmissibility determination. The rule does not include, for example, consideration of emergency medical assistance, disaster relief, national school lunch programs, foster care and adoption, Head Start, or student or home mortgage loans.

This rule also clarifies that DHS will not consider the receipt of designated public benefits received by an alien who, at the time of receipt, or at the time of filing the application for admission, adjustment of status, extension of stay, or change of status, is enlisted in the U.S. armed forces, or is serving in active duty or in any of the Ready Reserve components of the U.S. armed forces, and will not consider the receipt of public benefits by the spouse and children of such service members. The rule further provides that DHS will not consider public benefits received by children, including adopted children, who will acquire U.S. citizenship under INA 320, 8 U.S.C. 1431.

Similarly, DHS will not consider the Medicaid benefits received: (1) for the treatment of an “emergency medical condition,” (2) as services or benefits provided in connection with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (3) as school-based services or benefits provided to individuals who are at or below the oldest age eligible for secondary education as determined under State or local law, (4) by aliens under the age of 21, and (5) by pregnant women and by women within the 60-day period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy.

The final rule also establishes the totality of the circumstances standard for determining whether an alien is likely at any time in the future to become a public charge, which includes weighing, at a minimum, the alien’s age; health; family status; assets; resources and financial status; education and skills; prospective immigration status; expected period of admission; and sufficient affidavit of support under section 213A of the INA. No single factor alone, including the receipt of public benefits, is outcome determinative: The determination of an alien’s likelihood of becoming a public charge at any time in the future must be based on the totality of the alien’s circumstances and by weighing all of the factors that are relevant to the alien’s case.

This rule also explains how USCIS will exercise its discretionary authority, in limited circumstances, to offer an alien inadmissible only on the public charge ground the opportunity to post a public charge bond. The final rule sets the minimum bond amount at $8,100 (adjusted for inflation); the actual bond amount would be dependent on the individual’s circumstances.

This rule also makes nonimmigrants in the United States who have received, since obtaining the nonimmigrant status they seek to extend or from which they seek to change, designated public benefits above the designated threshold generally ineligible for extension of stay and change of status.

Importantly, this regulation does not apply to humanitarian-based immigration programs such as refugees, asylees, special immigrant juveniles (SIJs), certain trafficking victims, victims of qualifying criminal activity, or victims of domestic violence.

The final rule applies to applications and petitions postmarked (or, if applicable, submitted electronically) on or after the effective date of the final rule. Applications and petitions pending with USCIS on the effective date of the final rule will be adjudicated under the 1999 Interim Field Guidance. In addition, the final rule contains special provisions for the consideration of public benefits received before the effective date of the final rule: any benefits excluded from consideration under the 1999 Interim Field Guidance (for example, SNAP, Section 8 Housing Vouchers) that are received before the effective date of the final rule will not be considered; any public benefits that would have been considered under the 1999 Interim Field Guidance and are received before the effective date of the final rule will be considered in the totality of the alien’s circumstances, but will not be weighted heavily.

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 12:55 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Monday, August 12 2019

New immigration Public Charge rules were issued today, that will come into force of law in the next few months. The rule is over 800 pages long and the estimated time to read it is between 16-20 hours as stated in the rule itself. It is focussed on attacking low income legal immigration where immigrants and non-immigrants are attempting to follow the law, but are deemed too likely to be eligible for public benefits from any governmental source from local cities to states.

At this stage it is unclear how or when this new rule will go into effect as lawsuits will likely be filed soon. What is known is that some of the most controversial points made in the draft rule that was published earlier have been modified.

With that said, it does appear that going forward it will be a much higher burdern in general to gain approval for Legal Permanent Resident Status or Naturalization to become a US citizen for many applicants. We are also expecting to see new forms, and potentially new immigration fees (or increased fees) as part of this rule change. 

Many immigrants and non-immigrants will be tempted to immediately change their behaviour and remove themselves from any form of public benefit. However we do not recommend making any changes that may endanger someones health or access to food for themselves and their family. It is too early to make any decision that important, and either way immigration may be allowed to look at conduct that happened in the past so any damage may already have been done.

In addition, decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the "totality of the circumstances." Therefore no two situations will be treated the same.

As this new rule is rolled out we will continue to provide more details attack to legal immigration to the US. 

Here is a link to the new rule in it's entirety. 

Posted by: Christopher M. Pogue, Esq AT 12:34 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email

Email
Twitter
Facebook
Digg
LinkedIn
Delicious
StumbleUpon
Add to favorites
The Pogue Law Firm LLC
Of Counsel with the Fleischer Law Firm LLC
810 Sycamore Street, 2nd Floor - Cincinnati, Ohio 45202            



This website and the information on it is not legal advice. Do not rely upon any information found on this website or through the links on this website.  You must contact our law firm AND enter into a written legal retainer agreement in order to obtain legal advice from our law firm for your situation. Contact us today so that we can provide you legal advice for your case.