On Thursday, US District Judge John F Walter of the Central District of California ruled in favor of a same-sex couple from California in a birthright citizenship case, allowing both of the couple’s twin sons to be legally declared citizens of the United States. The US-Israeli couple, Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks, were married in Toronto and became fathers via surrogacy in Canada. One of the twins carries Andrew’s Read More

Inadmissibility may apply to non-U.S. citizens who are seeking to enter or remain in the United States or who are applying for Adjustment of Status (Green Card). Being found inadmissible can be a serious obstacle to your immigration case and may trigger the start of removal proceedings against you. Grounds of inadmissibility - or the reasons why an immigrant may be legally barred from entering or remaining on the Read More

For most of us, January is a hopeful time of new beginnings, new goals, and new challenges. New year’s resolution lists bring hopes of restoration, righting the wrongs of the previous year, and mending its failures. We promise ourselves that we will finally hit the gym, start eating healthy, read more books, call our families more often, and so on. For most of us, January is a period of excitement and pleasant Read More

In one of our previous blogs, we explained how a memorandum issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in July may affect U.S. visa applicants. In the article, we also mentioned that according to another memorandum that had been issued earlier in the summer, USCIS will have more authority and discretion to start deportation proceedings. The memorandum in question, dated June 28, 2018, serves as a Read More

An old adage says: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” What follows from this statement is that the reasons to end a marriage vary from couple to couple. However, what is similar for most people who go through a legal dissolution of their relationship is the challenge - and often a struggle - to adjust to “the new normal,” that is, life after a divorce. One of the more Read More

Receiving a call from a family member or friend telling you they have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and are now facing possible deportation can be one of the most heartbreaking calls you can get. Sadly, dozens of these calls are made every day in the U.S. All of these people have at least two things in common. First, they are scared, shocked, and unsure of their future. Second, Read More

Adoption is a beautiful selfless act of love. For many, it is a way to form or extend a family while at the same time offering warmth, affection, and protection to children who otherwise might never experience these things - things that only a truly loving family and a stable household can guarantee. There is no doubt, that adoption can be a meaningful and enriching experience. However, the decision to adopt should Read More

Establishing paternity is an important legal process that guarantees certain rights both to the parents as well as a measure of legal and economic protection to the child itself. It allows the father to officially recognize his child and enjoy full involvement in its upbringing. Paternity is also crucial in securing either custody or visitation rights if the couple doesn’t decide to raise the child together. Read More

On July 13th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a policy memorandum with new guidelines regarding issuing a visa application denial. The new guidelines make it both easier for the USCIS officers to deny an application and give them more authority to do so. The USCIS memo is just the latest instance of the current administration’s efforts to deliver on the controversial promise of Read More

In 2016, Florida law enforcement agencies received 105,668 reports of domestic violence. 63,193 of them resulted in arrests. While these numbers may seem staggering, the problem is even more serious at the national level. According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), in the U.S. a woman is beaten or assaulted every nine seconds; every minute, 20 people are physically abused by their intimate Read More