The Department of State has announced to immigration attorneys, through the liaison efforts of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), that some GLBT immigrants may seek to process their immigrant visas in safer third-countries. Last year, when the Supreme Court struck the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Windsor v. United States, federal government agencies began recognizing same-sex marriages for federal benefits, including immigration. United States citizens may now seek immigrant...

On March 18, 2014, USCIS announced that, on its own motion, it would reopen and review I-601A waivers that were denied prior to January 24, 2014 and review the reasons for denial. This affects spouses of United States citizens who have had their provisional waivers denied. The I-601A provisional waiver went into effect in early 2013, allowing those who required a waiver for unlawful presence only to have their inadmissibility waiver...

U.S. Supreme Court Declares Section 3 of DOMA Unconstitutional, Provides Important Opportunity for Same-Sex Married Couples to Receive Immigration Benefits. In 1993, the U.S. Congress enacted the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Section 3 of DOMA barred the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), from recognizing any marriage that was not between one man and one woman. Under DOMA, DHS could not approve an immigration petition filed...

Kolko & Associates, P.C. is pleased to announce an important change in the immigration law with regard to the processing of waivers for the Unlawful Presence ground of inadmissibility. This new process is only available for spouses, children and certain parents of U.S. citizens (immediate relatives). Applicants applying for an Immigrant Visa to the United States are required to demonstrate that they are “admissible” to the United States. The Immigration and...

Kolko & Associates, P.C., is pleased to report the expansion of a critical immigration program to benefit certain people that entered the United States as young children. The program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”), was announced by the Secretary of Homeland Security on June 15, 2012 and the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) began accepting DACA applications on August 15, 2012. DACA is a discretionary determination by the...