An immigrant will be classified under one of four statuses: U.S. citizen, permanent or conditional resident, non-immigrant, and undocumented. These statuses can change throughout a person’s lifetime. U.S. Citizen Status U.S. citizens are either born in the United States or have become naturalized after three or five years as a permanent resident. A person may also be a citizen if one of their parents was a U.S. citizen at the time of their birth. A U.S. citizen can live, work, and vote in the United States. They are also eligible for many federal benefits, including social services and educati ..read more

It has been a difficult couple of years for college students who had to take remote classes and miss out on the college experience. While it was certainly difficult for American students, it was far more difficult for international students who were unable to travel and had to settle for online classes while still paying full tuition. In certain cases, these classes took place in the middle of the night. With Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions lifting, international students looking to earn their degree at American universities now must contend with COVID-19 vaccinations. International studen ..read more

The Biden administration recently announced restrictions on the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to arrest illegal immigrants at or near courthouses. With this latest directive, immigration agents will only be making arrests if the immigrant involved is a threat to national security or to public safety and those who have crossed the border since Nov. 01. ICE has already created a new appeals process for immigrants to challenge arrests, detentions, and deportations. Previously, the Trump administration had authorized immigration office ..read more

A combination of travel restrictions and suspension of the processing of routine visa services due to COVID-19 have caused severely negative effects in the greater Philadelphia area. Local employers and the families of visa applicants found it nearly impossible to get cases concluded and people where they belong. Many employers, including hospitals in need of medical professionals, could not regain staffers or add new ones with the imposed travel restrictions and general halt of routine employment-based visa services. Moreover, many families are missing key members as family-based visa cases m ..read more

Elizabeth C. Surin and Thomas M. Griffin of Surin & Griffin, P.C. have been selected to this year’s Pennsylvania Super Lawyers List. Super Lawyers is a patented rating service that uses a multi-level process to chose attorneys in over 70 different practice areas. A certified blue ribbon panel thoroughly evaluates credible professional achievements to choose attorneys. Peer reviews, independent research, successful verdicts, experience, and special licenses warrant an attorney to be nominated to Super Lawyers. Additionally, honorees are featured in Super Lawyers Mag ..read more

All immigration court hearings are stressful for those facing deportations. It does not matter if someone has just arrived months ago or spent years building a life in the United States, the decision can undo plans and dreams. Each immigration case is unique, which can create a lot of confusion for those awaiting a decision and attempting to prepare a case to stay in the country. Cases can take years to resolve and rely on specific legal decisions based on certain circumstances. There are a lot of factors that come into play in deciding someone’s status. Oftentimes, the first decision will not ..read more

Pennsylvania is on pace to aggressively inoculate most of its citizens. However, there is a significant segment of that population that is having a difficult time obtaining the vaccine. Immigrants throughout Pennsylvania believe that they are facing mounting obstacles that prohibit them from receiving the vaccine. This can pose a serious risk to the rest of the country as many immigrants work in agriculture where they are unable to socially distance as well as others. The Pew Research Center estimates that about 17 percent of workers in agriculture are undocumented, and about 10 percent of res ..read more

When someone is coming to the United States for work, travel, school, or family, they will need to apply for a visa that best suits their needs to ensure a smooth process at the port of entry. There are many different immigration and non-immigration visas available to travelers, and it can be a confusing process figuring out which one to apply for. Since finding the right visa is important, it is best to consult an immigration lawyer first. One might be wishing to come to the United States on an employment-based visa. One might also want to come to the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa. No matter t ..read more

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) federal agency is not allowed to engage in immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations, such as churches, schools, funerals, and medical appointments, unless there is an urgent reason to do so. After an incident at a Philadelphia school last year, many families are concerned whether immigration statuses will be questioned at school. Last February, a pregnant mother was arrested at a Philadelphia elementary school almost immediately after dropping off her preschooler at the establishment. Schools are not allowed to know, ask about, o ..read more

Congress is considering legislation that would reduce the current wait time to eight years for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in the United States illegally, including those that fall under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order who wish to gain citizenship. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is the cornerstone of a comprehensive immigration reform package. The bill was introduced in early February and covers several aspects of immigration reform. It addresses how certain non-citizens can gain citizenship and how the country will handle taking in those ..read more