Law Office of Nancy H. Parker, PA

07/10/2024

The office will be closed until after Hurricane Milton. We will reopen on Thursday or Friday depending on whether we have power and internet.

Stay safe.

25/09/2024

The office will be closed on Thursday, Sept 26 due to Hurricane Helene. The Tampa USCIS office will also be closed on Thursday.

06/02/2024

USCIS fees will go up on April 1. This is not a joke. The cost of an application for a green card through marriage to a US citizen will see a very large price increase. In the past, the travel permit and the work permit were included in the cost of the application for permanent residence. These forms will now have separate fees. The travel permit will be $630 and the work permit will be $260.
I-485 will go up to $1440 and the I-130 will go up to $675. If you have been delaying filing your application now would be a good time to get your paperwork submitted.

13/12/2022

USCIS will issue a new I-485, Application for Permanent Residence form on December 23, 2022. This form will be immediately required and any applications containing an older version of the form will be rejected. The major change in the new form is the addition of a section about "Public Charge" eligibility. New questions about household income, household assets, household liabilities, level of education, certifications and professional licenses, any public benefits ever received, and past mental health hospitalizations have been added.

02/12/2022

This case is worth following.

AILA and the Council respond to oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court in the case U.S. v. Texas, a dispute over the Biden Administration’s authority to set immigration policy.

02/09/2021

I have been asked about the immigration options for people from Afghanistan. This is a brief overview of some of the option that may be available. These options are for Afghans who are able to get out to the country. The US Embassy has relocated to Doha, Qatar. There are no consular services inside Afghanistan at this time. Afghans will be able to obtain consular services at any US consulate.

Humanitarian Parole- This process requires a humanitarian crisis, a financial sponsor in the United States, and a plan for obtaining legal status in the US. Examples of a plan for US status could be a family petition or an asylum application. Humanitarian parole can be filed with an expedite request.

Special Immigrant Visa- This is an immigrant visa process for people who provided aid to US forces, most commonly as translators. If the SIV is approved before the person enters the US, they will enter as lawful permanent residents. If the case is still pending when they arrive in the US, they will need to file for permanent residence in the US.

Refugee status- A refugee is a person outside of their country, who because of a “well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, and nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion” is unable to return to their country of origin. Applicants apply at a UNHCR office abroad. Processing can take several years. Refugees enter the US only after the case is approved. It is possible under some circumstances to apply as “emergency flow refugees” under INA 207(b). If made available, this process would be faster than traditional refugee processing.

Repatriation Assistance Request- If an I-130 (application for alien relative) has been approved and all supporting documents have been sent to the National Visa Center, it is possible for US citizen family members to request repatriation assistance. The purpose of this request is to shorten the length of time the case will wait for an embassy interview. This request could shorten the processing time by many months.

DOD parole – This process is similar to humanitarian parole, except that it applicant is asking the Department of Defense to support the application. People filing under this category will need to show that they have been of value to the DOD.

18/06/2020

Supreme court protected DACA for now. I am delighted but much work remains to create a fair and just immigration system.

07/04/2020

Due to Covid 19 I am not currently scheduling in person consultations or meetings. I will hold phone consultations and I am available to clients by phone and email. If there is no answer when you call please leave a message and I will return your call.

24/02/2020

The new public charge rule went into effect today. This will have a major impact on many people applying for permanent residence. It may also be applied to some green card holders when they return to the US after a trip oversees. One example is green card holders who return to the US after a trip of 180 days or more would be subject to the public charge rule. Times have changed. It is more important than ever to know the law and your rights.

22/04/2019

I cannot emphasis enough that it is a bad idea for permanent residents to work in the cannabis industry. https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-issues-policy-guidance-clarifying-how-federal-controlled-substances-law-applies-naturalization-determinations

USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that violations of federal controlled substance law, including violations involving ma*****na, are generally a bar to establishin

01/04/2019

Proofreading and fact checking still matter

27/02/2019

Starting on March 4, 2019 the Tampa USCIS office is changing the way that infopass appointments are scheduled. You will need to call the USCIS 1-800 number in order to schedule appointments. Appointments will only be scheduled if you need an in person service such as a stamp in your passport. Appointments to request information will not be scheduled. USCIS claims that this change will make them more efficient. It will also make it more difficult to obtain information about a case pending at the Tampa office.