THIRD DWI AN AGGRAVATED FELONY

On May 20, 2013, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee amended the definition of aggravated felony to include 3 convictions for drunk driving. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) proposed this amendment.

An aggravated felony is grounds for removal and/or loss of Legal Permanent Resident status. To be removable under this new aggravated felony ground, at least one of the convictions must have occurred after the date of the enactment of this legislation. [Read more…]

California joined the growing list of states that allow immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to obtain driver’s licenses.

The licenses, which are expected to become available no later than January 2015, will carry a special designation on the front and a notice stating that the document is not official federal identification and cannot be used to prove eligibility for employment or public benefits.

“This is only the first step,” Brown said outside City Hall in Los Angeles. “When a million people without their documents drive legally and with respect in the state of California, the rest of this country will have to stand up and take notice. No longer are undocumented people in the shadows.”

Ten other states have enacted measures to give driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, many of them in the past year, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

State officials estimate 1.4 million drivers will apply for licenses under the law over the next three years. The measure, written by Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, will grant licenses to anyone who passes the written and road tests, regardless of immigration status.

It isn’t clear whether entities such as local government offices, libraries or banks will accept the license as identification.

The bill is one of several immigrant-friendly measures passed by the Legislature this year, including overtime pay for domestic workers and an effort to scale back collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.

The DIVERSITY LOTTERY is OPEN until November 2nd, 2013. The DV Program is an alternate path for foreign nationals who meet the program’s eligibility requirements to obtain permanent residence in the United States. Each fiscal year, the U.S. Department of State, through a computer-generated lottery selection, makes available 50,000 immigrant visas (“green cards”) to a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants.”

People from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States may register for the DV Lottery. The list of countries is subject to change from year to year.

On June 15, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security announced its plan to exercise prosecutorial discretion in the form of deferred action for childhood arrivals. The purpose of this program is to prevent the deportation of the group of promising youth who have to come to be known as DREAMers. With this new form of prosecutorial discretion, DREAMers will finally be given the opportunity to come out the shadows and be able to pursue education and employment without fear of deportation. [Read more…]

Starting August 1, 2013, the F-2A priority date will be current. This means your spouse and minor children can file for adjustment of status and work authorization in the US, regardless of their priority date (provided they are eligible).