Immigration Lawyer in Houston:

Unraveling 30 Years of Immigration History

In almost nine years of practicing immigration law, I have had the opportunity to handle many challenging and difficult cases. Some cases are challenging simply because the facts make it difficult to know what outcome we can expect, while others are challenging because the present situations not directly addressed in our immigration laws. And then there are people who have been in the U.S. for 20 or 30 years without a resolution in their case.

Immigration Lawyer: Humanizing the immigration process

Last week, I was honored to have an interview published in J-Vibe Magazine, which focuses on stories and issues that impact Houston. My interview was titled Humanizing the Immigration Process.

There is so much I have to share about my experiences working with immigrants to the United States. A large portion of my desire to help people with their immigration issues comes from my own personal experience of having lived in another country. Between my junior year of college and my first year of law school, I spent about 3 years in China. While there, I experienced a variety of emotions – I felt almost infatuated with my new surroundings and their differences from my home. I felt unsure of how to conduct myself as I learned that a completely different set of habits existed in this new place. I felt doubtful about how to communicate as I stepped off school grounds or away from my friends to do anything from run errands to travel to a tourist destination. I felt angry when it was obvious that I was being singled out, or talked about as if I couldn’t understand what was being said about me. But I also felt amazed that people who spoke a totally different language and had a completely different culture could stop to help me – someone so obviously different – to find a bus stop or explain to a store clerk what I needed. I felt heartened that despite my differences, the people around me listened and tried to understand me as I struggled to speak their language.  I felt grateful for the warmth and hospitality I was shown as someone who many Chinese considered a guest from another part of the world.

Immigration Lawyer: What Oil and Gas Workers in the U.S. Should Know

If you are in the U.S. because of your work in the oil & gas industry, you may be facing a number of immigration issues. (And even if you aren’t, you likely have employees or coworkers who are.) You are here with a temporary work visa, which has limits. You may be wondering what you can and can’t do while you’re here.  You may also feel uncertain or exposed – if you are laid off or your employment is terminated, what will you do? If your authorization to remain in the United States ends with your employment, what happens if you have children in school, or if your spouse has a good job? 

This year's March Visa Bulletin reveals advancements in the Final Action Dates of all employment-based categories except EB-3 India. Notably, the Final Action Date for EB-2 China advanced by five months from March 1, 2012 to August 1, 2012, and EB-3 China from October 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013. While only slight advancements are seen in the Final Action Dates of all family-sponsored categories except F1 Philippines, and F2B and F4 Mexico, which remained stagnant, USCIS information on family-sponsored cases that in March, family-sponsored applicants may use the Dates for Filing chart, rather than the Final Action Dates chart, to determine when to file an adjustment of status application.

On January 26, 2016, Kathryn N. Karam attended a seminar on Texas's new open carry laws. At the seminar, Attorney Karam noted that many people are not aware that certain firearms offenses may render a person deportable from the United States, even if the person charged with a firearms offense is a Permanent Resident and even if the crime is not an aggravated felony, a crime of violence, or a crime involving moral turpitude.

USCIS Issued When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: December 2015 to help readers determine if it is time to file their I-485 Application to Adjustment of Status to Lawful Permanent Resident (green card application). Earlier this year, the Department of State began issuing the monthly visa bulletin in a USCIS on new visa bulletin format with "Final Action Dates" and "Dates for Filing Applications."

Subscribe to Kathryn N. Karam PC's YouTube channel and check out our informational videos!

Kathryn N. Karam in HoustonNewcomerGuides.com on the importance of checking your arrival/departure record.

The United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Mata v. Lynch, noting that an individual may request that his/her case be reopened even if the Motion comes after the filing deadline if he/she received ineffective assistance of counsel from a prior attorney.

The Department of State has released the April 2015 visa bulletin. Notably, EB-3 Rest-of-World has moved up to October 1, 2014.