WASHINGTON IMMIGRATION LAWYERS WELCOME PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ACTION, CAUTION COMMUNITY AGAINST SCAMMERS Seattle, Washington – The Washington State Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomed President Obama’s executive action which will offer...
Soreff Law
Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Spouses
Effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin accepting applications for employment authorization for certain H-4 dependent spouses (spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants). The H-1B nonimmigrant must have: (1) an approved I-140, immigrant...
DAPA and Expanded DACA Update
On May 26, 2015, in a split 2-1 decision, the 5th Circuit denied the government’s emergency request for the court to stay the lower court’s injunction on the DAPA and expanded DACA programs. The lower court had previously issued an injunction on the programs in...
President Obama’s Executive Action for Parents, DACA, and Provisional Waiver
On Thursday, November 20, 2014, President Obama issued an executive order for immigration action. The President’s plan includes the following three major programs or changes that will positively impact families: New Program for Parents of U.S. citizens and permanent...
President Obama’s Executive Action for U.S. businesses and workers
On Thursday, November 20, 2014, President Obama issued an executive order for immigration action. The President’s plan includes a number of employment-based directives intended to benefit U.S. businesses and workers, including but not limited to: Employment...
Deferred Action for Certain Childhood Arrivals
In June 2012, President Obama announced a special program for people who came to the U.S. as children and meet certain other requirements. The program is called “Deferred Action for Certain Childhood Arrivals”, or “DACA” for short. While it is not certain that the...
A. Carin Weinrich elected as Chair of Washington State Chapter of AILA
In May 2014, Carin was elected to be Chair of the Washington State Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”). AILA is the national association of more than 13,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. Founded in...
Watch “Documented” on CNN Sunday, June 29
At 6 p.m. PST on Sunday, June 29, 2014, CNN will air “Documented: a film by an undocumented American.” The film is directed, written, and produced by Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. To read more about the film and Jose Antonio Vargas, see...
USCIS Field Operations AILA Liaison Meeting April 10, 2014
I am pleased to serve on AILA’s national USCIS Field Operations Directorate Liaison committee. We present issues that AILA members have to the head of USCIS Field Operations for discussion. We meet twice a year in Washington, DC to discuss these issues directly. I...
Supreme Court Opens Door to Immigration Benefits Through Same-Sex Marriages
In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Section 3 of DOMA prevented federal recognition of same-sex marriages (U.S. v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 12 (2013)), i.e. that Section of DOMA defined “marriage” as only...
