Our Services
Immigration Attorney in Maryland
- Non-Immigrant Visa
- B-1/2, E-2, F-1, H-1, L-1, O, P, R, U
- Immigrant Visas
- Family Based
- Employment Based
- Entrepreneur and Investor
- Naturalization
- Political Asylum
- Deportation and Removal Proceedings
- Voluntary Departure
Our Clients
Our Corporate clients include local IT companies, MVY Resorts, Real Estate investors, Restaurants, Commercial maintenance companies, and Assisted Living Homes. Our firm can conveniently and efficiently represent clients on immigration matters located anywhere within or outside the U.S.
Member of the DC Bar, AILA, and the Association of Peruvian Lawyers.
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News
We have a new address & phone number:
3 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 700, Bethesda, MD 20814 - (301) 961-1550
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Ana Ochoa Cohen on Deferred Action: "It's Just a Temporary Fix"
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La Abogada Ana Ochoa Cohen detiene la deportacion de Menor de 12 años |
Breaking News:
- Nationals of Chile will soon be able to visit the United States without first having to apply for a tourist or business visa. Chileans will be eligible to visit the United States for a maximum period of 90 days under the Visa Waiver program. Applicants must have an approved ESTA and hold an e-passport (passport with electronic chip containing biographic data).
- The U.S. Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, therefore allowing gay partners who marry in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legally valid, to petition for the permanent residence of their spouses.
- The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill with path to citizenship for undocumented workers, by a vote of 68 to 32. The House has decided to work on piecemeal legislation that is destined to fail. There is still hope, however, that GOP representatives may listen to business and religious groups who want them to work on fixing the immigration system.
- President Barack Obama and the U.S. Senate have unveiled proposals for achieving comprehensive immigration reform this year. The pillars of the proposals include improvements on border security; cracking down on companies that hire undocumented workers; creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; and improving the current legal immigration system by eliminating backlogs and offering permanent residency for those who obtain U.S. advanced degrees in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
- Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, announced that immediate relatives of US citizens (spouses, minor children, and parents) who entered the United States illegally, will be able to apply for the new provisional waiver of Inadmissibility beginning March 4, 2013. The new process allows immediate relatives to remain in the United States while the I-601A waiver is pending, therefore minimizing the extended time of separation the families endure under the regular process. To be granted the waiver, the applicant must demonstrate that denial of the waiver would result in extreme hardship to either his or her US citizen spouse or parent. If the waiver is approved, the applicant briefly travels to his/her home country to complete the green card visa processing.
- Applications for Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are now available at the US CIS website: www.uscis.gov. The applicable form is I-821D and it must be filed with forms I-765, I-765WS, with supporting documentation, and the filing fee of $465.00. Persons with criminal records, in removal proceedings, and persons who have used false documents such as false Social Security numbers or have claimed to be US citizens are strongly advised to seek the professional services of an Immigration Attorney before filing Form I-821D. For more information on DACA, please contact us.
The Department of Homeland Security, under directive of President Obama, will offer Deferred Action to certain qualified persons who are unlawfully present in the United States and meet the following requirements:
- Came to the US under the age of sixteen;
- Have continuously resided in the US for at least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012;
- Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtanied a general education development certificate (GED), or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the U.S.
- Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety; and
-Are not above the age of thirty.
Persons will not receive an automatic grant of Deferred Action, but reviews will be done on a case-by-case basis. A grant of Deferred Action implies the person cannot be removed or deported from the U.S. during the validity period, and may be eligible for work authorization. Since there are serious risks involved in these types of applications, persons are strongly advised not to consult with Notarios, but to obtain qualified legal advice.
- On November 17, 2011, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) issued guidelines for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. The Memoranda and guidelines give immediate, high priority to the deportation of criminals and those who pose a risk to the U.S. national security while granting persons with strong ties to the United States, the possibility of having their cases administratively closed. Priority relief will be given on a case-by-case basis, to persons with no criminal record who have been in the country since childhood, have strong community ties, have been victims of crimes, are veterans or relatives of persons in the armed forces, are caregivers of the ill or elderly, or otherwise have a strong basis for remaining in the United States. This measure will benefit a substantial number of DREAMers, children in the U.S. illegally, who wish to pursue a college education or serve in the military.
- Foreign students in the U.S. who are graduating in the fields of science, engineering, neuroscience, marine and environmental science, pharmaceutics, education research, agricultural sciences and psychology, now are eligible to work in their fields of expertise for up to 29 months pursuant to new DHS regulations.
- Effective January 20, 2010, DHS is enforcing compliance of ESTA requirements for persons traveling under the Visa Waiver program (VWP). VWP travelers should check requirements at www.travel.state.gov prior to traveling to the U.S. to avoid being denied boarding on air carriers.
- The Department of Labor and the Immigration Service are conducting random audits of companies employing persons holding H-1b visas. Employers must keep a Public Access File (PAC) for each H-1b visa employee.
- Employers are reminded to comply with properly completing and keeping a file of employment-eligibility form I-9 for every employee.