President Donald Trump doesn’t want immigrants to go on welfare programs during their first five years in the U.S. He is calling for a new policy that would prevent immigrants from using welfare for five years. He said that foreigners seeking permanent resident status in the U.S. must be able to financially support themselves. According to the Center for Immigration Studies’ 2015 report, 51 percent of households with legal or undocumented immigrants have used at least one welfare program. Likewise, such households use food programs and Medicaid more often than households with U.S. citizens. However, some of these changes that the President wants to make already exist. “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,” backed by then-President Bill

Do I Need a Lawyer to Apply for U.S. Citizenship? No, you don’t need a lawyer to help you file your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. If you are able to understand and answer all questions on the form, you can complete the form without help. However, some applicants choose to consult with an attorney when there are red flags that include tax issues, previous dismissed convictions or charges, or less serious misdemeanours. You can easily file your U.S. citizenship application if you just follow all the form filing instructions. All you need to do is to provide correct answers to all questions and make sure you do not provide any false information. Also, you will likely be in trouble

If you have plans to apply for a U.S. visa in the near future, get ready to provide information on your social media accounts. The Trump administration is taking all possible steps to tighten visa rules. Now, the administration has unveiled a questionnaire that asks visa applicants for information on their social media accounts.  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved new measures that require visa applicants to provide their biographical information for the last 15 years. OMB’s approval for the new questionnaire will last for six months. If renewed through subsequent law or policy, the approval would last even longer. Visa applicants must now provide all the requested information on their old passports, social media accounts, phone

A lot of people are unaware of the difference between the visa expiration date and the date of expiration of their authorized period of stay. To travel to the U.S. you must hold a passport and a valid U.S visa. You need to get the right type of visa based on the purpose of your trip to the U.S. With a visa, you can travel to a U.S. port of entry. Immigration officers at the port of entry will decide how long you may stay in the U.S. and permit you to enter the country. Visa expiration date The date on which your U.S. visa will expire will be printed on your visa. The expiration date printed on the visa

Employment-based H-1B visas are nonimmigrant visas that allow foreigners to work in the U.S. for up to six years. This program is meant for highly-skilled foreign workers like engineers, scientists, computer programmers, etc. But U.S. companies are using this work visa program to bring in cheap labor, undercutting American workers. To put an end to the abuse of the H-1B visa program, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to make changes to the program. Trump said that the country is going to enforce ‘Hire American’ rules to protect the jobs and wages of American workers. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has also announced measures to combat H-1B visa fraud. Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has demanded abolition of the

What is the USCIS Lockbox Facility? Lockbox facilities allow the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to receive forms quickly and process payments efficiently and securely. All USCIS applications and immigration forms come with form filing instructions that will have the address of the lockbox facility to which you will need to send your application. These facilities have been set up by the USCIS to receive applications and process payments. Lockboxes review applications for basic biographical information, check if the forms are signed and filed with the correct fee. These facilities will also check the jurisdiction of the submitted form and basic eligibility of the applicants. Lockboxes reject or accept applications based on the rules of the immigration agency. It

Where Can I Find My Alien Registration Number? You can find your Alien Registration Number on your permanent resident card (green card) and on other immigration documents like the Employment Authorization Document (work permit) or on Form I-797, Notice of Action.  Alien Registration Numbers, also known as A-numbers and USCIS numbers, are identification numbers assigned to all aliens by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These numbers have 9 digits preceeded by an “A”, for eg. A987654321. Some A-numbers may have just eight or seven characters.  These USCIS numbers are printed on both the sides of the green cards and on the front side of the work permit. Check out our immigration blog for more immigration facts!

Renew Your Green Card or Apply for Naturalization? Per the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (formerly the INS), if your permanent resident card (Green Card) has less than six months of remaining validity, you must renew your Green Card prior to filing an application for naturalization (Form N-400). You must submit a photocopy of your replacement Green Card when you apply to become a citizen. You can renew your Green Card by filing Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. If your Green Card will not expire for at least another six months and you meet the requirements to apply for citizenship, then you may choose to apply for citizenship instead of renewing your Green Card. Lost Green