Five Things You Need to Know About Today's Rapidly Changing Immigration Laws

• Publication year: 2018
• Author: By Princesherry Hechanova

Five Things You Need to Know About Today's Rapidly Changing Immigration Laws

By Princesherry Hechanova

Although Princesherry Hechanova started her career as a litigator, defending healthcare professionals in personal injury cases, her passion for immigration drove her to continue to pursue her goal to manage her own immigration firm. Today, she has offices in both Los Angeles and Orange County, where modern technology allows her to assist clients located throughout the United States as well as those in foreign countries. She continues to believe that immigration has made, and continues to make, the United States the great country it is today.

With the change of administration in 2017 came widespread change in immigration law. Covering each and every change in detail will take more space than this publication can cover. Thus, we have limited this article to some of the most pressing changes:

1. DACA:

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was a program established by the prior administration through an executive order. This allowed for individuals who entered as minors and remained in the United States illegally to receive a two-year period of deferred action from deportation. The program also allowed for DACA recipients to obtain a work permit.

On September 5, 2017, the current administration announced its plan to phase out the DACA program. As of February 13, 2018, a second federal judge has issued an injunction that orders the present administration to keep in place the DACA program. Prior to that, a California district court ruled to partially maintain DACA. Presently, here is a summation of the present DACA policy in effect: https://www.uscis.gov/daca2017

• USCIS will still not accept new DACA applications.
• DACA recipients, who are eligible to renew, may still file their renewal application.
• DACA recipients whose DACA expired on or after September 5, 2016, may still file for renewal.
• DACA recipients whose DACA expired before September 5, 2016, must file a new initial DACA request, but must list the date that their prior DACA expired.

2. TPS:

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a program that was established by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990 as a humanitarian program that suspends deportation to countries that have been destabilized by war or catastrophe. Foreign nationals with TPS protection are generally able to obtain a work permit and a driver's license. Presently, the following countries are designated for TPS: El Salvador...