Leslie I. Snyder, P.A. - Immigration Attorney
Expertise. Experience. Empathy. Excellence.
Matters in which the firm is involved include but are not limited to the representation of thousands of clients before the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the Immigration Court, the Board of
There are several non-immigrant visas available to individuals coming temporarily to the U.S. and it should be understood that those seeking certain types of non-immigrant visas or permanent residency must petition for such non-immigrant or immigrant status. These non-immigrant visa options vary depending upon nationality,
There is a dire picture painted by some of the immigration numbers we are seeing in recent years: about 410,000 people are waiting for their turn for green card interviews, mostly on the basis of close relatives. In 2019, before the pandemic hit, that number
If you are one of the people who thinks that America’s “immigration problem” is that “illegals are taking our jobs”, you might want to hear about a recent development on the subject: “The real crisis is not border crossings but a shortage of new arrivals”
In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court decided today to uphold Texas District Judge Drew Tipton’s challenge to an immigration policy directive issued in September of last year by Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security. In the DOJ had asked the Supreme Court to stay
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has issued a memo to ICE’s acting director last September, directing the agency to prioritize its enforcement efforts against undocumented or removable immigrants who “pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security and thus threaten America’s
A TN visa is a tool created by the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (now the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to help citizens of Canada and Mexico obtain temporary employment in the United States. Canadian professionals apply using a TN-1 visa, and Mexican
National interest waivers grant permanent residence in the United States without having an employer as a sponsor. Instead of relying on the employer, you rely on your skillset or education to obtain permanent residence. What Are You “Waiving” in the Waiver? You are not actually
Marriage green card interviews are the last step in a lengthy process. By the time you have reached this final step, you will have completed a fair amount of work and jumped through countless hoops. While it might feel like the bulk of the work
With international travel on pause for over the past two years, you might be itching to go on a trip. While there are still some restrictions and considerations to make when choosing to go abroad, for the most part, travel is back on track. Pandemic
Immigration laws, including those relating to lawful permanent residency, can be challenging to understand. With lawful permanent residency, there are specific requirements that you must meet before you are considered and accepted. However, even after you have been admitted to the United States as a
I am an immigration lawyer who has solved visa issues for clients for more than 30 years.I would like to update some of my recent views and experiences in the field of technology, visas,international case processing challenges, and confidentiality in an effort to assist other
EOIR (Executive Office of Immigration Review) has released an Introduction to Immigration Court video as part of its “Access EOIR” initiative. The video, currently available in English and Spanish, is designed to educate and inform noncitizens about the immigration court process. The SPANISH VERSION of
What Is EB-5? Investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for a Green Card (permanent residence) if they: Make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States; and Plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time
Below please find a “Respondent Access” flyer in English and Spanish for distribution to individuals who may benefit from it and the organizations that serve them. The QR code on the flyer will take them to the “Respondent Access” application to provide for online submission
The Supreme Court of the United States agreed on Friday, February 18th to hear the Biden’s administration’s appeal of lower court decisions precluding the government from shutting down the “Remain in Mexico” policy. The policy was put in place under former President Donald Trump. Under
For most visa categories, you need advance parole from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to travel internationally if you have applied to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR) through adjustment of status in the U.S. See the explanation from the government website (customs and
Yes, extending your B1/B2 business or tourist visa in the US due to Covid-19 impact is a valid reason. That being said, you will still need to pay attention to the process and deadlines.
The Department of State has started taking electronic applications for the “Green Card Lottery”, officially known as the Electronic Diversity Visa Program. Key factors to keep in mind when applying: Entries will NOT be accepted through the U.S. Postal Service. If accepted, your official admission
One of the documents required for immigration benefits is Form I-693. Normally, the validity of this form, once filled, is two years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both applicants and USCIS has been experiencing unforeseen delays in obtaining/processing this indispensable form. As a consequence, USCIS
Thanks to our membership in AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association), we can now provide you with some useful tools in the form of some very useful brochures that you can save and have at your fingertips whenever you feel uncertain about the path you might
AILA provides a practice alert on announcements by CBP and DOS that, beginning May 21, 2021, U.S. citizens will be able to return to the United States on an expired U.S. passport through December 31, 2021, if the traveler meets certain requirements. For a quick reference with sample materials and
Checklists are always a most useful tool. Having assisted thousands of individuals in their immigration matters, I believe it is important to have a clear understanding of any potential pitfalls prior to traveling. Here are some of items we cover in our office in our client
“The living conditions in Venezuela reveal a country in turmoil, unable to protect its own citizens.”“It is in times of extraordinary and temporary circumstances like these that the United States steps forward to support eligible Venezuelan nationals already present here, while their home country seeks
As we have been informing you, since Day One of his swearing in, President Biden proposed a new immigration law and signed the first Executive Orders aimed at improving the life of our immigrant population, and streamlining a new, secure path to integrating those currently
USCIS announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 9 and run through noon Eastern on March 25. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registrations. A confirmation number will be assigned to each registration submitted for the FY 2022 H-1B cap. This number is used solely to
The title says it all! It is the new Executive order signed today by President Biden, at the White House. Long awaited and certainly long overdue, this certainly sets a new tone in US immigration policy: The Federal Government should develop welcoming strategies that promote
The signs are promising for our clients! As the new President is getting sworn in, America’s immigrants have a new hope to a more decisive plan of action for their full integration into the American society. Among the many sweeping reforms President Biden will present,
If you are scheduled to travel to the US, please be advised that yesterday the CDC issued an Order requiring all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to get tested no more than 3 days before their flight! You will need to provide
Applicants for naturalization filing after December 1, 2020 will be required to take the 2020 version of the civics test. They will need to study 128 questions about American government and history. The naturalization test has two parts: an English and civics test. The English
A federal judge has reversed the Trump administration’s restrictive rule on the DACA program. This Obama administration legislation protected undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children from deportation. According to N.P.R., yesterday “Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn instructed
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today plans to implement a revised version of the naturalization civics test. The agency first announced plans to revise the civics test in July 2019. USCIS revised the civics test as part of a decennial update to ensure that
“This court rejects the position that the proclamation implicates the president’s foreign affairs powers simply because it affects immigration,” US District Judge Jeffrey White The statement refers to the June ban on H1-B, H-2B, J and L visas, which effectively halts granting those types of
As part of the Continuing Resolution passed on Sept. 30th, Congress has ensured continuation of the EB-5 Regional Program, which effectively means investor visa applications will suffer no lapse or delay in processing. H.R.8337 – Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act is the
Great news for immigration benefit applicants! Today, a US district judge in California issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts implementation of major fee increase for most US Immigration applications. This injunction has nationwide effect. On August 4, 2020, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Many immigrants are apprehensive about the travel bans instituted by the President at the beginning of the year. The situation seems to change from a day to the next. Executive Orders and Proclamations that affect immigration abound. There seems to be a silver lining in
A new USCIS policy memorandum clarifies requirements for deployment of capital for EB-5 applicants (investor visa). This establishes that the purchase of financial instruments on the secondary market will generally not satisfy such requirements. It clarifies that capital may be further deployed into any commercial
USCIS began producing a “Security Enhanced U.S. Travel Document.” On Thursday, USCIS announced a new version of the U.S. travel document, which functions similarly to a passport. The document can be used by lawful permanent residents in place of Form I-327, Permit to Reenter the United
“Horrible and Foolish Loopholes” President Trump has taken yet another step in tightening asylum policies. In a memorandum released last night, the new presidential order prevents anyone who crossed the border illegally to get a work permit, it considerably reduces the adjudication terms of asylum
Under current Florida law, in order to obtain a Driver’s License, you need to be a citizen or legal resident alien. This might change in the near future. Both the Florida Senate and House introduced last month two separate proposals. These might allow foreign passports,
Effective April 1, 2019, the H-1B Visa Program will have new amended regulations. The final rule reverses the order by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B petitions under the H-1B regular cap and the advanced degree exemption. It introduces an electronic registration
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has confirmed he will sign into law a new measure passed by the New York State Senate. The bill offers undocumented students access to state financial aid and scholarships for higher education. New York Democrats became a majority in the State