Our Blog

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Proposed “Public Charge” Rule Allows the Well Funded Immigrants To Obtain a Green Card While Bringing Harm to Hardworking Families

On September 22, 2018, the Trump administration announced a proposed rule to make it harder for immigrants to obtain a green card or visa. It would not matter whether the immigrant is already here legally or if they are seeking...

Trump Immigration News

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Proposed “Public Charge” Rule Will Bring Harm to Hardworking Families

Over the weekend the Trump administration announced a proposal to make it harder for immigrants to obtain a green card or visa. The Administration seeks to broaden the inadmissibility ground relating to a “public charge.” This ground applies if the...

Immigration Counsel

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Ineffective Counsel Defense May Not Always Work

If you are an immigrant in this country, we cannot stress enough the importance of having adequate counsel when facing a criminal matter. In 2010, under Padilla v. Kentucky, the United States Supreme Court declared that criminal defense attorneys had...

Immigration Visa

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Spectacles No Longer Allowed in Visa/Passport Photos

Starting November 1, 2016, Consular Affairs (CA) will no longer accept photos of applicants for visa and passport purposes that are wearing eyeglasses, except in rare, medically-documented circumstances. CA has stated that a soft one-month enforcement period will be implemented...

Articles

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

China Increases Family Planning Enforcement: The Meaning for Asylum

Immigration law is rather unusual, in that foreign countries' actions or laws can have an impact on U.S. proceedings. This is especially true for someone seeking asylum, as asylum is usually based on conditions in the asylum-seeker's home country and/or actions...

Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Preparing For the “Residential Jackpot” after Texas v. United States

On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Obama administration's request to rehear United States v. Texas. The Supreme Court previously affirmed the Fifth Appellate Circuit's decision with a 4-4 vote in June of this year. This decision...

Articles

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Obama Ponders Executive Action For Undocumented Immigrants

This may prove to be an interesting end to the summer. If Obama moves on executive action its going to generate a lot of coverage and misreporting. I work with this vulnerable population and I think its great that at...

Articles

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

U-Visa: A Primer

One of the more recent types of visas, the U-Visa, is designed to help those who been victims of crime in the United States. The goal is also to encourage victims to cooperate in the prosecution of crime, as evidenced by...

Articles

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Alien Granted Second Chance Due to Improper Admission of Hearsay Documents

Aliens in removal proceedings are entitled to due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. These persons have a reasonable opportunity to examine the evidence against them, to present evidence on their behalf, and to cross-examine witnesses presented by the...

Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Chicago Immigration Judges Offer Valuable Bond Hearing Advice

On November 14, 2016 Immigration Judge Vinikoor and the new Chicago Immigration Judges joined the Chicago AILA chapter for our monthly meeting. Judge Rosche, Judge Cole, Judge Peyton and Judge DeAngelis were formally introduced and gave us some valuable insight...