Maryland residents may be aware that detention facilities operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been widely criticized by civil liberties and immigrant advocacy groups. Most of these complaints have focused on the conditions in these facilities and...
Your Immigration
Legal Advocates
Year: 2016
Rules for voluntary departure
People in Maryland who do not have permission to remain in the United States may want to apply for voluntary departure. Voluntary departure allows them to return to their home country at their own expense within a time period named by a judge. While a person who is in...
Rate increase coming for immigration applications
There are many ways that a hike in immigration fees can affect residents of Maryland or those considering a move to the state. A notice of coming increases was published by USCIS on May 4, and final approval is expected later in the summer. The agency operates with...
Immigrants applying for citizenship before election
Many immigrants in Maryland are following the U.S. presidential election just as closely as U.S. citizens. The comments that presidential candidates have made about immigration law may be of particular interest to people with a lot of family members who live in the...
Federal lawmakers want more H-2B visas
Some immigrants come to states like Maryland on H-2B guest worker visas. The program allows a maximum three-year stay in the United States for foreign nationals who are willing to work low-wage jobs in certain industries. Federal lawmakers are currently working to...
New proposal in so-called sanctuary city
Many Maryland residents have likely heard about the controversy regarding so-called sanctuary cities in the past year. The immigration controversy came to a forefront last year following the death of a woman in San Francisco when she was shot while she was walking on...
Proving good moral character for naturalization purposes
Residents of Maryland and other states who wish to become naturalized must meet a variety of requirements. One is of possessing good moral character. In order for applicants to complete the process of naturalization, they must demonstrate that they have"good moral...
Immigrant children and placement issues
Maryland residents may wonder about the outcomes for immigrant children who have poured across the nation's southern border with Mexico in recent years. The crisis began to surge in 2014 as numerous unaccompanied minors made their way from Central American...
Citizenship for children born to visitors from abroad
Maryland residents may be familiar with recent questions about the rights of U.S. citizens born abroad, but another question commonly arises about children born in the country to non-citizens. If a pregnant foreigner gives birth while visiting the country, the child...
2017 H-1B cap reached
Maryland employers seeking to hire workers from foreign countries to fill specialized positions could face challenges because of the caps for the needed H-1B visas. Examples of those who might take advantage of the H-1B program include engineers, scientists and...