Recent Blog Posts
What If My Conditional Permanent Residence Is Terminated?
Immigration is a popular topic these days due to the current White House administration’s focus on securing our borders. If someone from another country wishes to become a United States citizen, it is not as easy as simply obtaining a passport and buying a plane ticket. A foreign national must complete many legal steps to immigrate to the United States. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administers the country’s immigration and naturalization system. The USCIS recently released a set of guidelines on what to do if an alien’s conditional permanent residence status ends.
What Is Conditional Permanent Residence Status?
A Conditional Permanent Resident (CPR) is when a foreign national is granted permanent resident status in the United States on a conditional basis. This can be a spouse of a U.S. citizen or an immigrant entrepreneur (investor). As a CPR, an alien receives a Green Card, which is valid for two years.
How Can a Drowsy Driver Cause a Car Accident in Illinois?
In this day and age of advanced technology, there has been an emphasis placed on our well-being. Safe driving measures, specifically, have been of great interest to both federal and state governments across the country. One of the most notorious dangerous driving behaviors that causes thousands of car accidents each year is operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Increased focus has also been placed on other reckless behaviors, such as distracted driving and speeding. Recently, however, a trend of drowsy/fatigued driving has been scrutinized as an additional form of unsafe driving.
What Is Drowsy Driving?
Simply put, drowsy driving occurs when a person gets behind the wheel of a car when they are tired. Although everyone experiences fatigue differently, it is always considered unsafe to drive a vehicle if you are sleepy. Not all drowsy drivers will fall asleep at the wheel, but the likelihood of an accident does increase. If you are driving while you are tired, your senses are not as alert, your brain functions a little slower, and you could end up in a serious accident.
How Can an Uncontested Divorce Be Beneficial in Illinois?
The divorce journey is just as much a psychological process as it is a legal one. Interactions between both parties are often emotionally charged, no matter how amicable the decision to end the marriage may be. If you are fortunate enough to be on good terms with your spouse as you proceed with your divorce, you can have some significant advantages as you move forward with the experience. Ending a marriage is always painful to some degree and is certainly never easy, but an uncontested divorce under any circumstances is always preferable over a contested one.
Divorcing Amicably
In an uncontested divorce, both parties are cooperative, and neither is resisting or fighting against the dissolution of marriage. There are no major disagreements, and any arguments that do arise are typically easy to resolve, since each spouse is concerned with making decisions that support the best interests of both parties. If you are able to find and keep some common ground with your spouse as you begin the divorce proceedings, you may discover the following advantages:
What Are the Consequences of Falsely Claiming to Be a U.S. Citizen?
Many people all over the world have hopes and dreams of becoming a U.S. citizen. They may want to flee their homelands because of religious persecution there or to obtain a better education or career path here. In some extreme cases, foreign nationals are desperate to escape a dangerous situation. If the proper legal steps are not taken to lawfully enter the United States, criminal charges can result. For example, falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen can carry significant consequences.
Penalties for False Claims of Citizenship
Falsely claiming citizenship is a serious offense in the United States. The most common wrongful claims to citizenship occur in the below scenarios:
- Registering to vote in a local, state, or federal election if prohibited from doing so
- Checking “U.S. citizen” on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form
- Claiming to be a U.S. citizen on a student loan application
Reasons Why You Should Always Call the Police After a Car Accident
The moments immediately after a car accident can be stressful and confusing. You may not know exactly what happened or what you should do next. One of the first things you should do is assess yourself and any of your passengers for obvious injuries and call 911 if anyone needs immediate medical attention. Next, you should call the police. Some people may think that calling the police after a traffic accident is unnecessary if the injuries or damages are seemingly minor, but there are a number of reasons why you should always call the police following a collision.
Damages to Your Vehicle Could Be Extensive
You can never be certain of the extent of the damages to your vehicle upon first glance. Even if no paint is chipped and no parts are visibly broken, your vehicle could still have suffered damage that could be expensive to repair. Even a minor accident could damage the body of the vehicle or any of the complex sensors in newer vehicles. If you did not call the police to the scene of the accident, you may be unable to establish fault for the collision, it may be difficult to get insurance companies to cover the costs of repairs.
How Financial Disagreements Between Spouses Can Lead to Divorce
A vast number of studies and a seemingly endless sea of family psychology experts assert that money is one of the biggest points of conflict in marriages, and it is often a root cause of divorce. Experts say that if you are not careful, financial difficulties throughout the course of your relationship can ultimately lead to the end of your marriage, and these difficulties have the power to severely divide a couple and bring forth residual waves of resentment that linger long after the marriage is over.
Financial Troubles That Often Cause Divorce
A resounding opinion from many marriage experts is that the key is that spouses should assess and discuss each other’s attitude about money in the very beginning stages of a relationship, in order to prevent bigger problems down the road. For some couples, however, it is too late for that initial discussion, and they are forced to deal with the damage after it happens. Whether you are in the beginning stages of your marriage and wish to avoid money-related drama down the road or have been married for years and are just now realizing the major financial flaws in your relationship, chances are one of the following common financial areas is responsible for the conflict:
Work Permits for Asylum Seekers Restricted to Deter Border Crossings
Not all members of the same family are born in the same country. In many cases, parents choose to immigrate to the United States from another country as a way of escaping religious persecution and to provide their family with new opportunities and a better life. Many of these immigrants come to our country for employment through work visas or permits. Recently, however, the Trump administration released a proposal to restrict the number of work permits given to asylum seekers.
What Is a U.S. Work Permit?
A work permit is a photo identity card issued by USCIS. It is also called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The EAD looks similar to a U.S. driver’s license. Those immigrants who possess an EAD can show it to prospective employers as proof of their right to work in the country for a specified amount of time. The other documents that allow an alien to work in the United States include a Green Card, also known as a Permanent Residence Card, or an Employment-based Visa. Every employer in the United States must request proof of a new employee’s immigration status or right to work. Companies that violate this rule can face repercussions.
Organizing Your Finances in Preparation for Your Divorce
Facing an impending divorce can raise multiple concerns for both parties, especially when special circumstances arise that can further complicate the process. Arguments over parenting time or the inability to agree on other crucial issues, such as property division and alimony, are just a few examples of problems that often surface between a divorcing couple. Financial matters, in particular, are a major landmine for many separating spouses, as months or years of shared investments, purchases, and accounts have accumulated and must now be divided. Monetary concerns do not necessarily have to increase the tension between you and your spouse, however. Preparation is key to sorting out financial decisions during your divorce.
Creating a Foundation for Financial Negotiations
Even if you have not had the time to take stock of your finances before pursuing a divorce, there are still plenty of steps you can take that can provide a clearer picture of what you are working with, what your challenges will be moving forward, and how you can stay organized throughout the divorce process. The following tips can help tackle monetary issues that may be associated with your divorce:
Lane Change and Merging Accidents: Who Is At Fault?
Driving can be a difficult task that requires a good deal of multi-tasking, and despite popular beliefs, humans are actually not very good at doing more than one thing at once. Nevertheless, most Americans will drive a vehicle at some point in their lives. Although operating a car or truck can be difficult at first, it will become second nature once a driver spends enough time behind the wheel. However, drivers can also become so accustomed to the act of driving that they do not pay full attention to what is happening on the road around them, and serious car accidents can occur as a result. While lane change or merging accidents may not be the most serious types of collisions, they can cause significant property damage and injuries, and if you have been involved in this type of accident, you should be sure to work with an attorney to determine how to recover financial compensation.
Steps to Take if a Request for DACA Renewal Is Delayed
The topic of immigration can be confusing, especially with all the terms associated with the legal process. Under U.S. immigration law, DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA is a policy that allows certain people who are in the United States unlawfully (after coming to the country as children) to receive a renewable two-year period to defer deportation and become eligible for a U.S. work permit. The current administration announced the rescission of DACA in 2017. However, some illegal aliens are still able to renew their applications through federal court orders that have allowed USCIS to resume accepting requests. It is important to note that USCIS will not accept requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferment under DACA.
Who Is Eligible for DACA?
DACA began under the Obama administration in 2012. Individuals who meet the following criteria can apply for DACA: