President Biden’s Keeping Families Together Program Has Begun

President Biden’s Keeping Families Together Program Has Begun

By American Immigration Council Staff | Editorial Credit: Roy De La Cruz / Shutterstock.com  Updated: August 22, 2024 This is an update to our blog first posted on June 18, 2024, when President Biden first announced two policies to help provide streamlined paths to legal status for certain undocumented immigrants. On August 19, 2024, details […]

Can We Fix a Century of Green Card Backlogs?

Can We Fix a Century of Green Card Backlogs?

A Special Immigration News Report By Janet Howard Listen to the Special Immigration News Report here: This year, only about 3% of the people who have submitted green card applications will receive permanent status. Close to 35 million applications are pending, up from 10 million in 1996. The first backlogs started a century ago, when […]

New Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Sets Roadblock for Cubans, Others Seeking Green Cards

New Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Sets Roadblock for Cubans, Others Seeking Green Cards

By Emma Winger | September 28, 2023 A recent Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision bars certain recently arrived noncitizens from becoming lawful permanent residents. In Matter of Cabrera-Fernandez, the BIA held that the petitioner had not been paroled into the United States when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released him from immigration detention. Without parole he […]

The Ghost of Public Charge Keeps Scaring Immigrant Families Away From Public Benefits

The Ghost of Public Charge Keeps Scaring Immigrant Families Away From Public Benefits

By American Immigration Council Staff | Aug 25, 2023 When the Trump administration proposed an overhaul of federal policy regarding when immigrants could be denied green cards or visas based on use of public benefits – the public charge rule – it made an impact in immigrant communities long before it technically took effect. Even early reports of what the administration […]

USCIS’ Changes to ‘Affidavit of Support’ Make It Harder for Americans to Sponsor Immigrant Family Members

USCIS’ Changes to ‘Affidavit of Support’ Make It Harder for Americans to Sponsor Immigrant Family Members

By Walter Ewing, Immigration Impact The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would make it much more difficult for U.S. citizens and legal immigrants—especially those experiencing financial hardship—to sponsor family members for green cards. If the rule goes into effect, the process of family-based immigration will become even more cumbersome and restrictive. […]

Green Card Slavery & Hope for the Future

Green Card Slavery & Hope for the Future

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Intimate partner violence is especially horrible for immigrants who depend on their spouses for immigration benefits. We call it Green Card Slavery. Thanks to VAWA (the Violence Against Women’s Act) which is gender neutral and was sponsored by then Senator Joe Biden, there is hope through the Spousal Abuse […]

Web Series “Green Card: A Love Story New York Screening and Party!

Web Series “Green Card: A Love Story New York Screening and Party!

Launching September 28, 2019 BROOKLYN, NY – A timely new immigration-focused web series, Green Card: A Love Story (#GCALS) premieres at a Caribbean-themed launch party on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at the actual film location at 204 Parkside Avenue, Brooklyn NY. Green Card: A Love Story is created and written by B. Nandi Jacob and directed by Roderick A. […]

New York Vows to Fight New Trump Green Card Benefits Policy

The new Department of Homeland Security rule requires that immigrants living in the country legally “do not depend on public resources to meet their needs, but rather rely on their own capabilities, as well as the resources of family members, sponsors, and private organizations.”

New York Vows to Fight New Trump Green Card Benefits Policy

By Josefa Velasquez, THE CITY Getting treated at the city’s public hospitals won’t necessarily be held against green card seekers, health officials said Monday amid news of a new Trump administration rule penalizing immigrants who legally receive government aid. Applications for permanent legal status can be rejected by immigration officials if immigrants use public benefits, […]