Hi, I'm Kathryn Karam. I'm an immigration lawyer in Houston, Texas. I'm board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I've been practicing immigration for about 14 years. I wanted to talk to everyone today about the update that we all received in the last week from US Immigration regarding giving work permits to undocumented immigrant victims of crime or for people who have applied for the U Visa.

Citizenship denied and green card cancelled?  Hi, everyone, I'm Katherine Karam, founder of Karam Immigration law, a board certified, and practicing immigration attorney in Houston, Texas. I want to talk about a problem that I've been seeing a lot lately in the United States immigration system.

On his first day in office, President Biden announced executive changes to U.S. immigration policy and support for congressional action to reform our immigration system. So many of us have been excited, hopeful, and curious – what exactly can we expect? How soon will these changes take effect?

If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably heard that USCIS is planning to furlough a majority of its employees because it needs more money. USCIS Deputy Director Joseph Edlow has stated that USCIS, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will have to furlough most of its employees by the end of August unless Congress approves additional funding for the agency.

On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s effort to end the DACA program, an Obama-era immigration program that offers legal protections to young immigrants brought to the United States as children. You might be asking yourself, what does the supreme court DACA decision mean?

We’ve had so many questions from people wanting to hear from an immigration lawyer in Houston about   unemployment benefits and stimulus payments during the Covid-19 pandemic. Here's the answer to your question, from an immigration lawyer: Do I qualify for unemployment and Covid 19 Stimulus Payments?

U.S. tax law is as complicated as U.S. immigration law, so we cannot provide any specific legal advice to you in this blog, but we can provide some general information that may help you understand if you can cash a stimulus check without an issue or claim unemployment benefits.

We totally understand if you’re wondering whether you can apply for immigration status during the Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. You might also be wondering if you can change or extend your status. There have been announcements by USCIS about postponing interviews and biometrics appointments and suspending premium processing of work visa petitions, immigration courts postponing non-detained case hearings, and suspension of visa processing at U.S. Embassies and Consulates.

Updated April 9th, 2020

Various government offices including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Executive Office of Immigration Review (the network of immigration courts) each announced in the last week that certain in-person appointments and court hearings would be rescheduled in order to prevent people gathering and potentially spreading the Coronavirus. USCIS just sent out an announcement that it would extend these closures through May 3, 2020, and it may extend the closures longer if needed.  If you’re thinking of applying for immigration benefits in the U.S., you might be wondering if you need to go to immigration during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the last two weeks, our awareness of the Covid-19, or Coronavirus, has greatly increased. Private businesses and government offices are taking steps to avoid “community spread” of the virus – spreading the virus between individuals who are in close proximity to each other. Some immigrants may be wondering, will coronavirus affect my immigration case?

Immigration courts and USCIS offices are places where many people often gather in close quarters, but the government’s response to concerns about the risks of attending immigration court hearings and appointments has been uneven. Here’s what you need to know if you have an immigration application pending or a case in immigration court: