As of July 2022, 38 states have legalized the medical use of cannabis to differing degrees. Each jurisdiction has its own criteria regarding what conditions cannabis can be prescribed for, in what amounts, and the process for issuing medical marijuana licenses. Based on this, immigrants may believe using marijuana in a state that has legalized it will not hurt or impact their immigration status. Unfortunately, that is READ MORE READ MORE

In a typical year, more than 270 million immigrants living and working abroad send cash transfers, known as remittances, to their home countries. In 2019, two-thirds of all international migrants lived in just 20 countries, with the United States holding the most at 51 million (about 19% of the world’s total). (United Nations). As of 2020, despite the lockdowns that have devastated economies and led unemployment rates to skyrocket, remittances have generally held READ MORE READ MORE

LGBT people face challenges and unique vulnerabilities that cause many to leave their country of origin and seek refuge in another. Research shows that consensual same-sex conduct remains criminalized in 69 countries, and as many as 11 countries could impose the death penalty upon conviction. (ILGA World, The International Lesbian, Gay, Trans and Intersex Association) Research show that even where such conduct is not criminalized, LGBT people READ MORE READ MORE

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has an ambitious goal this year. Its primary objective is to reduce the backlog of cases and its impact on Immigration Services. This past year, USCIS has felt the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic turned what were already significant processing delays into unprecedented backlogs across the entire system. In fact, as of 2022, numbers are very READ MORE READ MORE

The Department of Justice recently announced convictions in a major undercover operation involving seven construction-related companies in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. After a years-long investigation into the construction industry in the region, 12 defendants have been sentenced for immigration and employment-related crimes. The announcement underscores the significant criminal repercussions for manipulating undocumented individuals for personal gain. Illegal Check-Cashing Scheme The convictions stem from unscrupulous READ MORE READ MORE