Azucena Valencia Law Corporation

Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. After four years of anti-immigrant rhetoric, we are hopeful for a better and brighter future through the leadership and guidance of this new administration who recognize the value and importance of immigrants in this beautiful nation.

Fees are increasing soon. Make sure to file immediately before the new increases take effect. Contact our office for more information. Under the new proposal, fees for citizenship will increase by 65%, from $725 to $1,200. For marriage-based green cards filed within the United States, application fees will increase by 62%, from $1,760 to $2,860. The government is also seeking to remove fee waivers on these forms, among others. Some asylum seekers will also be required to pay $50 to apply for asylum, making the United States only 1 of 4 countries in the world to charge for an asylum application. The government will also increase fees for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, from $495 to $765 to apply to renew their protections

The new fee rule from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the latest Trump administration action to restrict immigration to the United States and make life more difficult for businesses seeking skilled workers and individuals who want to be American citizens.

In a striking rebuke to President Trump, the Supreme Court Thursday rejected his plan to repeal the popular Obama-era order that protected so-called Dreamers, the nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to this country illegally as children.

President Donald Trump said late Monday night he will sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the United States as the nation battles the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The contributions of young, undocumented immigrants in the battle against the novel coronavirus will become part of the Supreme Court record in time for the justices' upcoming decision on their fate. The high court agreed Monday to consider a new filing from a legal services organization at Yale Law School, as well as the National Immigration Law Center, that argues the Trump administration's decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Admissions (DACA) program sh...ould be blocked in light of the pandemic. We highly encourage you to renew your DACA now if it expires within the next year. You can renew your DACA if you had it in the past and it expired or was terminated. You should talk with a trusted legal service provider before you renew if you had contact with law enforcement since your last renewal or if your DACA was terminated. Unfortunately, those who have never had DACA still cannot apply to the program.

Effective March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is suspending in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This suspension of services will be effective until at least April 1. In the meantime, USCIS will provide limited emergency services. Please call the Contact Center for assistance with emergency services. USCIS field offices will send notices to... applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the office closure. You will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if your field office has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center. Education and precautions are the strongest tools against infection. Get the latest facts by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 website. Continue to practice good health habits, refrain from handshakes or hugs as greetings, and wash hands and clean surfaces appropriately. USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance. Please also visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates.

In light of the recent outbreak of the global pandemic COVID-19, Azucena Valencia Law Corporation will be canceling all in-person meetings through April 6, 2020. Our office is committed to the health and safety of our clients, our staff, and our families. Rest assured that we are fully operational and the success of your case remains our priority. Our office will remain open and our staff will continue to be available during normal business hours to answer your questions o...ver the phone or via email. Any documents or correspondence can be sent to directly to Azucena Valencia Law Corporation's Pomona Office, Pasadena Office, or via email. Please visit our website to obtain direct contact information. http://www.azvalaw.com Any exception to the above will be decided on a case-by-case basis and at the discretion of management. The situation with COVID-19 remains fluid. We will update our clients on any changes with respect to upcoming USCIS appointments or EOIR hearings as guidance from these agencies become available. We wish everyone continued good health and safety.

The body representing US immigration judges has recommended that coronavirus advice posters from the Centers for Disease Control be posted in court buildings only to be ordered by a government office to take them down.

A narrowly divided Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to begin enforcing a rule making it harder for poor immigrants to gain green cards. The justices in a 5-4 vote along ideological lines said they would let the controversial immigration rules go forward even as lower courts wrestle with multiple legal challenges against them.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to set aside an injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a rule that would withhold green cards from immigrants likely to require government assistance such as Medicaid or food stamps.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported last week a new rate plan for all of its services, including an 83% increase in application fees for U.S. citizenship applications. The federal agency is expected to publish its proposal for new rates, which includes reductions in the costs of some procedures but also significant increases to others on Nov. 14. After the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publishes the rate plan in the Federal Register, the agency will have a period of 30 days to receive public opinion, as established by law. The plan is expected to go into effect Dec. 2, while the comment period will remain open.

The fate of hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children will be on the line Tuesday, when the Supreme Court hears arguments on the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

A federal judge in New York has issued a temporary injunction against the Trump administration's "public charge" rule, preventing the rule from taking effect on Oct. 15.