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?

I want to make sure you are aware of two major policy changes that were recently announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I believe these policies will significantly impact immigration cases filed in the future, as well as applications that are currently pending. 

 As an immigration lawyer in Houston, I keep track of the latest changes to immigration law. On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled "Buy American, Hire American." Buy American means that all statutes, regulations, rules, and executive orders which relate to federal procurement or federal grants must show preference for goods, products, or materials produced in the United States. Products include steel, iron, and manufactured goods. For example, for steel products, the entire manufacturing process must be done in the United States. 

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President Trump’s Executive Orders for Immigration institute wide-ranging changes. Beyond the “travel ban” that has garnered most of the focus, President Trump has also made many other changes to the immigration landscape through his executive actions. His actions range from detaining more individuals who are caught crossing the border to broadening the definition of “criminal” for purposes of who will be a priority for deportation as a “criminal alien.”

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Trying to decide whether to hire a notario, form filler, or immigration Lawyer to help you? Some people hire a lawyer; some work with notorios or form fillers; others seek the help of family and friends who have gone through the process before.

Sometimes people feel like their cases are relatively simple, so it doesn’t make sense to spend money hiring an attorney if it’s cheaper to just work with a form filler or a notario. But, before you entrust anyone with your immigration case, ask yourself these questions:

  ¿Tratando de decidir si contratar a un notario, rellenador de formularios o abogado de inmigración para ayudarle? ¿Qué hacen la mayoría de la gente cuando necesitan ayuda con inmigración? Algunas personas contratan a un abogado; algunos trabajan con notarios o con un rellenador de formularios; otros buscan la ayuda de familiares y amigos que han pasado por el proceso de antes. Pero antes que confiar a alguien con tu caso, hágase estas preguntas:

Superlawyers Rising Star and Houston TX Immigration Attorney Kathryn Karam, has built a reputation of a results-driven lawyer who is dedicated to helping families and businesses in the greater Houston, TX area and around the United States with their immigration needs.  

Immigration Lawyer in Houston: What Does Three Years Mean in the U.S. Immigration System?

On July 8, 2013, I moved into a room and officially opened the Law Office of Kathryn N. Karam PC. Within three months, I’d met Katrina Espinales and Nadine Chen, two of the three other team members at the firm. By January 2014, we had moved into a formal office suite of our own, and in August 2014, we celebrated our first anniversary.

My team gave me a beautiful sign which is in our reception area today. By January 2015, Britny Martinez had joined us, and later that year, we expanded into our current office space. Now, as we round out our third year in business, I am more grateful than ever for the team we have in place, the number of difficult of cases we have successfully handed, and the service we provide to our clients. So on the firm’s three-year anniversary, I am grateful for my team, for the work we get to do, and for our wonderful clients. Three years has felt like a long time, and yet, it feels like it passed in the blink of an eye.