At LBE Law Firm, we consider ourselves a family. Recent immigration policy changes include nearly 100 executive actions taken during the first 100 days of the Biden administration, about half of which are independent and half of which are reversals of policies issued during the Trump administration. Given these policy changes, here are some ways that our family can help your family.

• Family sponsorship for green cards has resumed. According to the Pew Research Center, in the federal fiscal year 2019, more than 700,000 immigrants received legal permanent residency or green cards due to family sponsorship. In April 2020, the Trump administration issued a temporary freeze on the issuance of new green cards due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former President Trump later extended the freeze until March 31, 2021. However, in February 2021, President Biden lifted the freeze, giving the green light to family-based immigration green cards to resume.
• Visas are now available for nationals who were previously banned from entering the U.S. In a series of bans on visas for the nationals of certain countries, the Trump administration barred all visas for family-based immigration, as well as other visas. Now, individuals can apply for family sponsorship for close relatives who are nationals of various African and predominantly Muslim countries, including Libya, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, and Venezuela. This means that the almost 42,000 people who were denied visas due to the ban now can resubmit their visa applications.
• Employment-based nonimmigrant visas also are again available. The Trump administration also had previously placed a freeze on temporary work visas, including H-1B, H-4, H-2B, L-1, and J category visas. The Biden administration allowed that freeze to expire on March 31, 2021. Aside from the damage that it did to many U.S. businesses that rely on foreign workers, the ban on employment-based visas ultimately prevented certain family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families in the U.S.
• Restrictions have been eased on families seeking asylum at the U. border. The Biden administration has allowed an increasing number of families to undergo processing at the border and entry into the U.S. Previously, Customs & Border Patrol categorically denied families entry into the U.S., required them to remain in Mexico, or even worse, separated them from one another in detention facilities. With admission to the country now available, we can assist in pursuing asylum applications on behalf of these families. U.S. border officials state that they will prioritize families with medical issues, including members of the LGBTQ community, pregnant women, and small children.
• Temporary protected status (TPS) is now available for Venezuelan and Burmese nationals. TPS gives 18 months of protection from deportation for foreign nationals of these countries who are already in the U.S. The grant of TPS to the nationals of these two countries is over 324,000, which more than doubles the number of foreign nationals who now have TPS.
• The Central American Minors (CAM) program has restarted. This program allows Central American children to join a parent in the U.S. who is already lawfully present. These children are given refugee status or are paroled into the U.S.
• The Biden administration has revoked the public charge rule by dropping its defense of the policy in court challenges and restoring 1999 guidance, which has a far more narrow scope. About 21,000 people were denied visas on public charge grounds in FY 2019, which increased astronomically from the 1,000 people denied visas on the same grounds in FY 2016.

Let LBE Law Firm Assist You with Your Legal Matter

We can assist you with all types of family-based immigration matters and those involving employment-based immigration. LBE Law Firm also provides comprehensive legal representation for individuals concerning general legal matters, including wills and estates, bankruptcy, family law, and contracts. You can phone us at 1-424-LBE-LAW4 (1-424-523-5294) (call, text, or WhatsApp) or send us an email at info@lbelawfirm.com. Contact us today and learn about how we can help.