Posted on May 11, 2015 in Family Law

If you have recently made the decision to end your marriage, your child has undoubtedly picked up on the feelings of tension and imminent change between you and your spouse. If you are currently going through the divorce process or even if you have been divorced for years, your child might still have questions about the process and what the divorce meant for your family. This is where it is crucial for you to maintain open lines of communication with your child and answer him or her in a truthful, yet age-appropriate way – by lying to your child or otherwise attempting to distort or withhold the truth, you are only alienating him or her and setting the example that he or she cannot come to you with serious questions.

Getting the conversation about your divorce started with your child can be very difficult. You might not know where to begin or what is appropriate to share with him or her. When the time comes to start having this series of discussions with your child, keep the following in mind:

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 Posted on May 07, 2015 in Immigration

The disabled, like everyone else, are entitled to a fair review of their applications to immigrate to the United States. However, many times, they are ruled inadmissible solely because the law meant to protect the public has not been updated along with the times. If you are disabled and wish to immigrate to the United States, there are factors of which you should be aware.

The “Dangerous Behavior” Bar

8 U.S. Code § 1182 provides that someone with a physical or mental disorder that may be dangerous to property or safety and welfare of the person or others (or a “history of behavior” associated with the disorder) is inadmissible. Proponents argue that this is in service of the public good—that anyone who has a history of violent or frightening behavior, regardless of intent, may cause harm to the people the law is designed to protect.

Others question exactly who the law is meant to protect. If someone has, for example, obtained counseling for his or her particular disorder, and has a long period of successfully managing their symptoms, it seems arbitrary and contrary to public policy to penalize them by denying them a visa. There is an appeals process if you are ruled to have a disability that renders you dangerous (or capable of ‘dangerous behavior’), but it is only to a medical board, not to a higher immigration authority.

Regardless of the possible punitive consequences, however, it is worth noting that this bar only applies if a person has both a “physical or mental disorder” and a pattern of behavior related to the disorder that could be potentially dangerous. The definition of “physical or mental disorder” is vague, directing that an immigration official be guided by policy from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. However, in practice, much of these decisions are left up to the individual official’s discretion.

If a potential immigrant can provide documentation that shows a pattern of acceptable behavior and a lack of propensity to harm, he or she is often granted the visa they seek, at least partly due to this vagueness. If he or she is denied, disability waivers are also available.

The Public Charge Bar

The other reason that disabled people are sometimes denied entry to the U.S. is the so-called ‘public charge’ question. Anyone, not just a disabled person, is subject to a ruling of inadmissibility if they cannot prove they have sufficient support not to become a public charge under INA §212(a)(4). A public charge is someone who is primarily dependent on government assistance, rather than any kind of private income.

Despite the public charge bar being, in theory, applicable to everyone, it disproportionately affects the disabled. Officials have cited concern over the disabled person possibly losing his or her job or becoming more disabled over time (resulting in an inability to work), or in the case of those with mental disabilities, possibly becoming stranded in the country with no ability to take care of him or herself.

Contact an Immigration Attorney

If you or a loved one has a disability that might result in an inadmissible finding, having a professional on your side may make the difference between success and failure. The skilled DuPage County immigration attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices have extensive experience in these types of cases, and are happy to put it to work for you. Contact us today to discuss your options.

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 Posted on May 04, 2015 in Family Law

The trauma associated with a sexual assault or sexual violence can be extremely volatile. There are physical, emotional, and psychological wounds that may be near impossible to heal without significant assistance or time to help the survivor of sexual assault to get past the event. What makes this trauma even more difficult and overwhelming is the birth of a child who was conceived as a result of this violent and criminal act.

Parental Rights of Assaulters in Many States

Legislation put into place is attempting to remedy the effects that come from the birth of a child conceived as a result of sexual assault. In about half of the states, there are little to no protections of the mother against her sexual assaulter who may want to have a relationship with the child as the child’s father. Many of these states permit not only custodial rights, but also visitation rights, forcing the survivor of the sexual assault to maintain a relationship with her assaulter. Some states even give the father the right to prohibit the mother from putting the child up for adoption.

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 Posted on April 29, 2015 in Family Law

When thinking about child marriage laws, many people’s first thought is of the child brides in third world countries in Africa or Asia. However, in a recent study, it seems that the child marriage laws in the United States and Canada have a lot more in common with Saudi Arabia, Niger, and Bolivia, than with Western Europe. This is because in the vast majority of countries around the world, minors under the age of 18 are not legally permitted to marry, or if they are, it is only with court approval and/or pregnancy. Many are currently pushing to increase the minimum age to marry regardless of parental consent and/or religious law all around the world, including the United States and Canada.

The United States

The United States, since the 1990s, has experienced a substantial increase in teen marriage due to the expansive proliferation of abstinence-only sex education. In many states in the U.S., many teenagers are able to wed at the age of 14 or 15. Though teen marriages at these ages are rare, the fact that most states set the minimum age at 16 still has an influential impact on teenagers, especially girls, who may be forced into marriage due to pressures exerted by the family and cultural conservatism within the community. In many states, the younger age limit is taken advantage of to push minors, who may be the victims of statutory rape, into a marriage to legitimize the misconduct that occurred.

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 Posted on April 22, 2015 in Immigration

Being in immigration proceedings is frightening for most people. When they are told that their offerings are not enough, it can get even worse. Yet, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) routinely requests further evidence from those in proceedings, for a variety of reasons. If you receive one of these notices, it is important to understand it fully and not panic.

Requests for Evidence

Requests for Evidence (RFEs) can come from any immigration official once you are in proceedings, at any stage of review from then on. While usually they are simply to address any gaps in your information, at times, they can be issued erroneously or even used as ways to fish for potentially damaging information that is not truly relevant to your case. The significant majority, however, are genuine requests for further information, or to clarify something that the officer feels has not been fully explained.

It is important not to panic if you receive one of these. An RFE does not mean that your case will be denied or that there is something fundamentally wrong. However, it does mean that you need to obtain the information in question and reply within the time frame stated. Usually, this is 90 days, though the specific amount of time you will have to reply will usually be stated in the request itself. It does also mean that you must be able to interpret what is being requested. Sometimes, the request may not cite any specific documents; it will merely ask, for example, for “further evidence” regarding a specific criteria of your application. A potential asylee may be asked to provide “further evidence” of their alleged persecution. In these situations, a good immigration attorney can be a huge advantage.

Notices of Intent to Deny

Where an RFE is not necessarily a moment to panic, if you receive a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID), that is potentially more serious. A NOID is issued in a few different situations, some of which are:

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 Posted on April 15, 2015 in Immigration

When you decide to marry a non-U.S. citizen and reside in the United States, there are significant bureaucratic obstacles that must be satisfied before you and your soon-to-be spouse can reside happily ever after. The one thing that many mixed-citizen couples do not take into consideration is the fact that once they have tied the knot, they are bound together for life, even if they decide to divorce.

Affidavit of Support

The United States, when permitting non-U.S. citizens to reside in the United States with their U.S. citizen spouses, requires that the U.S. citizen spouses sign an affidavit of support, which is an affidavit that the petitioner (usually the U.S. citizen) signs to declare that they will accept the financial burden and responsibility for the non-U.S. citizen so that the non-U.S. citizen does not become a ward of the state. In other words, by signing the affidavit of support, the U.S. citizen is agreeing to a legally enforceable agreement that he or she will provide lifetime alimony to their non-U.S. citizen spouse.

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