A package we sent to the new zip code last week via FedEx was delivered two days late. A package we sent to the old zip code on Friday of last week was received and ready to be picked up on Monday. Because Monday was a federal holiday, nobody from the...
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Update: Same-Day Filing Still Available at BIA Despite Shutdown
[Update Oct 2, 2013] we have heard mixed reports today. One person tried to hand-file and was turned away. Another says they were able to hand-file today without a problem. Will continue to post updates as we hear them. _____________
An Update From the BIA on the Government Shutdown
It hasn't been clear how fully staffed the Board's headquarters in Falls Church were going to be if the government shut down today. An e-mail this morning from EOIR provides a bit more detail: The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is processing emergency stay...
Government Shutdown Day 1 – Immigration Processing Has Stopped
A few updates this morning after the complete shutdown of the federal government over a disagreement about healthcare policy. 1. The E-verify program that employers use to verify that the workers they're hiring have permission to work is not working this...
Government Shutdown and Immigration Processing: AILA’s 2013 Update
Below is the latest update from AILA outlining the immigration processing implications of the looming government shutdown: As Congress faces another budget impasse, immigration practitioners are closely watching how a potential government shutdown will affect case...
Government Shutdown = Perfect Storm for BIA
Keep in mind that the BIA's zip code is also changing tomorrow (new zip is 20530-0001), which will be an especially terrible headache for those hoping to get something filed tomorrow. If you send your filings to the wrong zip code tomorrow, it will be delayed, because...
BIA Update Regarding Government Shutdown
I just talked with the BIA clerk's office about how it will operate tomorrow if the government shuts down. They said that in-person filing will not be possible, so do not take your notices of appeal or briefs to their office to file them in-person. The clerk's...
2014 Diversity Lottery Begins and a Note About Same-Sex Spouses.
This year's diversity visa lottery begins on October 1, 2013. And for the first time ever "Diversity Visa applicants may include same-sex spouses in their initial entries or add spouses acquired after their initial registration. Those spouses who will...
How Government Shutdowns Affect BIA Appeals
On September 27, 2013, the Department of Justice posted a “contingency plan” outlining how the agency would function if the federal government shut down due to a lapse in funding. With no spending bill passed before midnight on September 30, 2013, the government...
The First Circuit Rejects the “Departure Bar” to Motions to Reopen
I just received awesome news from a fellow immigration practitioner that the First Circuit has rejected the "Departure Bar" to motions to reopen proceedings in a new decision called Perez Santana v. Holder. The phrase "Departure Bar" refers to several...