News

Despite legal challenges and separate statewide rulings, the Supreme Court has given the third version of the Trump administration’s travel ban the green light.  The administration can now fully enforce its restrictions on travel from eight nations – Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Restrictions vary between the nations, but most citizens will find themselves unable to emigrate permanently to the U.S., and some may further be barred from [...]

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 28, 2017) – Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, the Capital Region’s largest law firm, announces a new immigration attorney:  Cianna Freeman-Tolbert.  Ms. Freeman-Tolbert joins Whiteman Osterman & Hanna’s Immigration Practice Group.  Her practice will focus on immigration litigation including removal and deportation defense.  Ms. Freeman-Tolbert brings a wealth of experience in immigration court proceedings and immigration [...]

USCIS announced on October 23, 2017 that prior policy guidance previously issued by the agency directing officers to give deference to the findings of a previously approved petition is rescinded. Under updated policy guidance, USCIS is instructing its officers to apply the same level of scrutiny to both initial petitions and extension requests for certain nonimmigrant visa categories. The guidance applies to nearly all nonimmigrant classifications filed using Form I-129, [...]

Brendan Venter, an Associate with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna's Immigration Practice Group, recently authored an article titled Dream On: The Elimination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Looking Ahead for Former “Dreamers” that was published in The Student Affairs Compliance Report & Analysis, a newsletter geared towards college/university student affairs staff. Please click here to view the article, which begins on page 5 of the newsletter.  [...]

On October 17, Judge Derrick Watson, a Hawaii federal judge, granted a Temporary Restraining Order or TRO ) in the case Hawaii v. Trump, blocking the majority of the travel restrictions set forth in President Trump’s September 24, 2017 proclamation The TRO invalidated Trump's instruction only hours before it was set to be enforced on October 18, 2017. This decision is not the first time that the judiciary has invalidated Trump's immigration plans as Watson had also blocked the previous [...]