Shoulder by Shoulder
Leaders Moving Business Forward with Lance Bartholomeusz of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Firmwide response to travel bans
Late Friday evening, June 6, 2025 – right after we posted TPS Twist: Court Halts DHS Action on Certain Venezuelan Work Authorization-For Now – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its website with a...more
In a 7–2 decision issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 30th (with Justices Jackson and Sotomayor dissenting), the Court granted the federal government’s request to stay the district court’s injunction that had blocked the...more
In a significant development for Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, a federal district court in California has issued an injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from invalidating...more
In a pivotal immigration development, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has effectively granted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) permission to proceed with the termination of the 2023 Temporary Protected Status (TPS)...more
At A Glance - President Trump’s first week in office provided a clear roadmap of his policy priorities and the beginning of a significant overhaul of immigration policies. His “Protecting the American People Against...more
The Trump Administration executed a number of Executive Orders related to immigration in its first day. These orders include a return to the “extreme vetting” policy of the previous Trump administration, limitations on...more
On Monday, January 20, the first day of the new presidential term, President Donald Trump issued a flurry of new executive orders related to immigration action items. Many of these orders address humanitarian and southern...more
The Order suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Effective January 27, 2025, entry under the USRAP is suspended and decisions on applications for refugee status are suspended. The Secretary of State and...more
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders significantly altering U.S. immigration policy. These actions, aimed at strengthening border security and redefining citizenship criteria, have...more
This order directs federal agencies to refuse to recognize U.S. citizenship for children born in the United States to mothers in the country illegally, or who are present in the United States on non-immigrant visas, if the...more
MoFo recently won asylum for a Cameroonian man after more than 10 years of persistent advocacy through multiple procedural tangles. The firm’s client was persecuted by the ruling party in Cameroon, CPDM, and feared returning...more
The 540-day automatic extensions of expiring employment authorization documents (EADs) will be permanent policy, according to a DHS final rule scheduled to be published on Dec. 13, 2024. The new rule will become effective on...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is finalizing a critical regulatory change to permanently increase the automatic extension period for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from 180 days to 540 days for certain...more
MoFo recently won asylum for an Afghan woman and her young son, after nearly a year of waiting for the Asylum Office to issue its decision following the asylum interview. The firm’s pro bono client is a widow from a religious...more
September 2023 saw major changes and updates in the United States and around the world. The Cozen O’Connor Immigration Catch-Up this month highlights these changes and provides the details you need to determine how or if...more
On September 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an update to the USCIS Policy Manual to increase the maximum validity period to five years for initial and renewal Employment Authorization...more
USCIS is increasing the maximum validity period to five years for initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain categories of applicants, including noncitizens with pending adjustment of status...more
Section 8 U.S.C. 1157 of the U.S. Code grants employment authorization for eligible individuals awarded refugee status, stating in part that these individuals “ … shall be eligible for resettlement assistance, entitlement...more
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government shortly after the United States announced it would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. In the weeks that followed, the US government evacuated over 120,000 US...more
Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions are confusing. Before you can figure out whether one of the various extensions applies, you need to identify the EAD category....more
Since our previous article on March 28, 2022, approximately 5.1 million Ukrainians have left the country and another 6.5 million have been displaced from their homes, but are still in Ukraine. The United States has taken some...more
On April 21, 2022, the Biden Administration announced "Uniting for Ukraine," which provides a streamlined process for displaced Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come...more
Secretary Of Homeland Security Mayorkas Has Designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months, Commencing April 19, 2022 and Concluding on October 19, 2023....more
Effective October 1, 2021, by order of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), USCIS and the U.S. Department of State will require individuals applying for permanent resident status to be vaccinated for COVID-19, with limited...more
USCIS recently announced that the Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency and any information and documentation required as part of the form are no longer required in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not...more