Many agree that people who were brought to the United States without documentation as children should not be deported back to a country they do not remember and have no ties to, simply due to their immigration status. For this reason, The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was instituted in 2012. Now, some U.S. Senators are working to provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. DACA and the Dream Act The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) began in 2012. It permits “Dreamers”—undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children under age ..read more

Under the law, you deserve to receive equal employment opportunities. This means that key employment actions, such as hiring, promoting, disciplining, demoting, and firing, should be based on your performance rather than who you are as a person. Sadly, though, all too often employers, whether intentionally or unintentionally, take action based on personal characteristics and individuals’ status in protected groups, such as race, ethnicity, age, and gender. But if you’re being treated unfairly in the workplace, how are you to know if you’re being discriminated against? It’s an important questio ..read more

Many people who immigrate to the United States may want to become American citizens. U.S. citizens have certain rights and protections that even lawful permanent residents do not enjoy. Among these are the right to vote in federal elections and the ability to get a United States passport. Once a person is an American citizen, they have the ultimate protection against deportation. The United States is their permanent home. Becoming an American citizen is not an easy process. It requires several steps. First of all, a person has to be eligible to apply for citizenship in the first place. Eligibi ..read more

There is an ongoing debate across the nation as to how to handle illegal immigration in North Carolina and throughout the United States. Given the contentious nature of the issue and how it can affect people’s lives, it is important to be up to date on proposals to address it. Those who are concerned about their status and what the current and possible new laws will mean for them should consider seeking professional assistance. Under the new proposal, sheriffs would be compelled to cooperate with ICE Recently, a new bill was put forth in North Carolina that would require sheriffs in the Tar He ..read more

Federal law prohibits discrimination of certain protected classes in the workplace. Many people in the United States approve of these laws but may not be familiar with what constitutes a protected class covered by federal employment discrimination laws. What is a protected class? A protected class is a group of individuals with a shared characteristic that are covered by federal workplace discrimination laws. Under federal law, employers cannot discriminate against a worker based on the worker’s: Color Race National origin Religion Sex Pregnancy Sexual orientation Gender identity Age (40 or ol ..read more

Immigration issues come in many forms in North Carolina. While most will associate the obstacles that many immigrants currently face with the possibility of deportation, the debate over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), asylum, family visas and more, there are also everyday challenges that immigrants are frequently confronted with. One complaint that recently came to light is the problem many North Carolina immigrants are facing in trying to get a state driver’s license. This is happening even for people who are legally allowed to have a license. Immigrants who are dealing with an ..read more

If you’ve been charged with a criminal offense, you’re probably worried about how it may affect your immigration status. The interplay of criminal and immigration law is complicated, and you have to know how to delicately navigate the issues before you if you want to protect your freedom and your ability to remain in the United States. After all, a criminal conviction could lead to deportation. What crimes can lead to deportation? There are essentially two types of criminal convictions that can lead to removal: aggravated felonies and crimes involving moral turpitude. These may seem like nebul ..read more

There are many reasons why individuals decide to immigrate to America. Based on that reason, certain steps are required to ensure that the proper documents are attained. Unfortunately, various issues could impact this process, resulting in an individual facing deportation. Language barriers, miscommunication on the legal process, unsafe conditions in the home country or an emergency warranting an abrupt entrance in the United States could all be factors. Furthermore, temporary policies could also play a role, creating an argument for a deportation defense. Pandemic immigration rules Based on c ..read more

Every day the world becomes smaller and smaller, and we can increasingly find love in various ways and from around the world. And, for those in North Carolina who found love internationally, the United States has a path to get your fiancé into the country legally. The process To get married in the United States, you will need to file a Petition for Alien Fiancé (Form I-129F), which is the first step to get your fiancé a K-1 nonimmigrant visa. This is commonly known as the 90-day fiancé visa. The prerequisites To qualify for the 90-day fiancé visa, your fiancé and you must intend to marry in th ..read more

It should come as no one’s surprise that Republican and Democrat legislators are expressing both support and opposition to an immigration bill. The legislation would end certain limits on employment visas. Big tech companies are supporting per-country caps on employment visas. Rare bipartisanship The Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (aka EAGLE) Act is scheduled for a vote in Congress during the lame-duck session. Both sides of the aisle are co-sponsoring the bill would end per-country caps on employment-based green cards for nationals to take away a significant backlog of appli ..read more