The Immigration Answers Show: Recent Episodes
Jim Hacking
Three days a week, immigration lawyer Jim Hacking answers your questions about the U.S. immigration system.
Not every immigration applicant needs an affidavit of support completed by a sponsor before USCIS approves their green card application. In today’s video, we discuss those types of cases that do not require the filing of an I-864.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon
Oh, your immigration officer is a meanie? Too bad, buttercup. Suck it up and get in there to fight for your immigration benefit. Which officer is assigned to your case is something that is 100% out of your control. If they are mean or if you hate them, it doesn’t really matter. Watch today’s video to help you develop the proper mindset when it comes to dealing with USCIS and the officer assigned to your case.
Friend. Counselor. Therapist. Advocate. Voice. These are all the responsibilities of the immigration lawyer and what makes a good lawyer a true Immigration Ninja. The lawyer takes their client as they find them and when they prepare the client for interview, they need to be creative to bring out their client’s best. Jim discusses the Immigration Ninja theory in today’s video.
When it comes to voting, you need to understand that state and local governments usually handle the registration of individuals to vote in elections. These branches of government do a poor job of determining whether someone is a U.S. citizen before registering them to vote. This can lead to big problems for the immigrant who gets registered by mistake. Tune in today to find out more.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon
Jim just left an interview at USCIS in Washington DC and his client was nervous as heck. That is not a good thing. In today’s video, Jim provides some guidance on how to get your mindset right and to go into your interview with confidence
When you apply for a new immigration benefit, you want to make sure that what you tell the USCIS in this application is generally consistent with what you told the federal government in prior applications. Suddenly raising new issues or providing clearly inconsistent information can cause you big problems - delays, denials and even deportation. So be careful and tune in to this video to find out more.
The problem for visit visa holders is sometimes they forget that - from an immigration standpoint - they are barely inside the U.S. They start to act like a lawful permanent resident or a U.S. citizen. One of the ways that this can cause them trouble is in the exiting and entering the United States. We take a look in today’s video.
How many tickets are too many? Will my traffic tickets keep me from getting a green card or my citizenship? While there’s no set rule on this, Jim has seen many cases get hung up due to an excessive number of traffic tickets. Tune in today to learn more.
USCIS has the authority and the ability to conduct their own investigation of you and your case. The immigration service is not limited to reviewing the documents that you submit. Some frequent sources of their investigation (besides Google) include ex-spouses, landlords and employers. Jim discusses in today’s video.
Sometimes, people receive an immigrant interview notice or an appointment at the embassy. Then suddenly the appointment is canceled. In today’s video, we discuss what this might mean and go over your options on trying to get your case moving forward.
Some notarios and lawyers promise immigrants the world. Give us a bunch of money and we will save your situation. That’s not how we do things at Hacking Immigration Law. We want you to know your exact situation. If we cannot help you, we turn down your case. Before you hire us, we will provide our thoughts on the likelihood of success. We will do our very best to never overpromise. We want you to stand with us side-by-side while we wage this immigration battle for you.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon
We aren’t sure why but there are an amazing number of immigrants who think that the immigration rules don’t apply to them. This is especially true when talking about senior citizens. But guess what - almost all of the immigration rules apply no matter how old or how young you are. You don’t get a pass just because you are old or because mom or dad are old. Tune in to this video to hear how it all fits together.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon
When a foreign national marries a US citizen or lawful permanent resident and obtains a conditional green card, most folks know that the foreign national needs to file for removal of conditions before the 2 year anniversary of the green card’s start date. The question arises - well what if the foreign national has a child who also received conditional lawful permanent resident status. We explain how it all works in this video.
We all know that applying for an immigration benefit or a visa is expensive. This made one of our viewers wonder - are they only after my money? Do they deny cases just to get more money spent on appeals or refiling fees? Jim discusses in today’s video.
When you apply for a green card, you should always file for an employment authorization document and for advance parole. This allows you to work and to travel outside the U.S. while your green card case is pending and is often called a combo card. We share everything that we know about combo cards in today’s video.
Jim was on the phone with a past client the other day. The client wanted to know, “does my wife need my permission to apply for citizenship?” Lots to unpack in this question which Jim covers in this video.
When you apply for an immigration benefit, the Department of Homeland Security uses that as an opportunity to conduct a background and security check. But these security checks seem to take forever. Immigrants want to know - when will my security check be completed. Jim explains in this video.
OMG! The Vermont Service Center is 3 months faster than the California Center. OOH, OOH, OOH, the Potomac Center has slowed down. Can I move my case to another, faster service center? Find out in today’s video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon
Elections have consequences. And while Joe Biden’s DHS and USCIS are moving way too slowly in fixing the wreckage wrought to our immigration system by Trump, Jeff Sessions and Stephen Miller, they did make one smart move on Friday. Hopefully, it will get cases moving more quickly or, at least, keep them from getting even further behind in the processing of immigration applications. Watch this video to find out more.
our case was humming along. Approved by USCIS. Sailed through the National Visa Center without a hitch. The consulate started processing and then bam, the embassy closed. This sucks! Jim discusses what steps you might take if your case is stuck at a closed embassy.
We have lots of videos about what to expect at your green card interview. But what happens if USCIS schedules you for a second green card interview. Short answer - nothing good. We provide some insights and explanations about what you might expect if USCIS calls you in for a second interview.
People are sometimes nervous when thinking about suing USCIS or the State Department when their case is delayed. Will they deny us because we sued? Will they be mean to us at the interview because we sued? How will we be treated differently. Jim discusses in today’s video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
If you have been married for less than 2 years when you get your marriage-based green card, you will receive a conditional green card. This conditional green card has the same rights and privileges as a full, 10 year green card. But immigrants are sometimes still scared to travel overseas on the conditional green card. Jim discusses in today’s video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
Being organized before and at your immigration interview is critical. In this video, Jim takes the perspective of an immigration officer to explain the difference between Ms. Super Organized Immigrant vs. Ms. Completely Unorganized Immigrant.
Immigrants get excited to find out that their green card has been renewed. And rightly so. But in today’s video, we discuss how just because USCIS renewed the green card doesn’t mean that it is safe to file for citizenship. In fact, many issues can come up in a citizenship interview which might not arise during the I-90 green card renewal process.
The number 1 question we get from callers and viewers is when will I get a final decision from USCIS on my case?
People who watch our YouTube channel know that when you go to your #immigration interview, you have to be ready for anything. Your interview might start early or your interview might start late. But you’re going to be prepared. You’re going to be ready. Nothings going to bother you. In today’s video, Jim discusses what it might mean if your interview starts late and what your mindset should be.
Often, at the end of an interview at USCIS or the Consulate, the officer might say “anything else?” Here’s exactly what to say!
Nazar was like many others, he thought USCIS would treat him fairly. But after four years, three interviews, USCIS scheduling and de-scheduling his oath ceremony, he realized that wasn't the case. Finally, he took our advice and filed a lawsuit.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
We made one big announcement last week - that we opened our first East Coast office in Washington DC. In today’s video, we share another piece of big news for our firm. We are officially changing our name from Hacking Law Practice, LLC to Hacking Immigration Law, LLC. Jim discusses in today’s video.
Last week, we published a video about the mean lady at USCIS. The video got a lot of views and comments. Of course, you have to expect a mean officer at the interview (might be a man or a woman). But in today’s video, Jim talks about a nice immigration officer he met in New York and discusses how best to approach whatever USCIS officer is assigned to your case.
The dreaded Request for Evidence. The hated Notice of Intent to Deny. Everyone knows that these documents that USCIS sends to immigrants when they aren’t happy about a case pose a threat to the overall case. But in today’s video, Jim discusses the mechanics of receiving an RFE or a NOID, what happens at USCIS while they wait for your response and then what information you will receive when the RFE/NOID response is received back at USCIS.
We’ve seen this before. After months and months of no processing at USCIS and at the State Department. But you may be surprised when you find out which cases are moving faster and which cases remain stuck. Tune in to this video for the inside scoop from Jim.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
Sometimes immigrants get into criminal trouble. And they forget that crimes by immigrants are different than crimes by citizens. Then they decide to clean up their record with an expungement. Jim explains how this can REALLY SCREW UP YOUR ABILITY TO STAY.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
We have heard rumors. We have heard magical tales of people getting a green card even after the marriage collapsed . But we were not actually sure it could work (without a lawsuit). Andrew and Alex of our office just pulled it off! Here’s a video tell you about the big win.
One of our viewers wanted to know how her original documents would be handled at her immigration interview. We made this video to share all of our best tips on original documents, copies and how these are handled at the immigration interview.
We like it when our clients immigration interviews are recorded. But recording an interview is actually pretty rare. In today’s video, we discuss the policy and practice of recording an immigration interview.
Sometimes immigration and visa cases take a long time to finish. You may need to move while your case is pending. Jim discusses all the things that you need to think about before moving while your case remains under review.
USCIS allows people to apply for an immigration benefit on paper or online. Each approach has good things and bad things. Watch this video to learn which way may work best for you.
Every immigration office and consulate has one. The officer who has been at it too long
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
When someone receives conditional resident status in the U.S., they need to file an I-751 petition for removal of conditions before the 2 year anniversary of receiving the initial green card. In this video, we talk about how the whole process works, what can happen if the couple has gotten divorced and all the other related questions that you might have.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
When you apply for an immigration benefit in the U.S., your case may be subject to a biometrics fee. These fees can actually cause some problems in certain cases. We discuss in today’s video.
When a consular official talks to your spouse or fiance to consider the merits of your case, they can approve the case, refuse the visa, place the case in administrative processing or send the case back to USCIS for possible revocation. Revocation means to cancel. Jim discusses what might happen then in today’s video.
Jim recently spoke with some immigration lawyers about how they run their firms and manage their cases. He was a bit surprised by what he found out. It seems like each of the attorneys that he met with kept track of their cases with a spreadsheet and Google Drive. Jim came up with a handy question for you to ask a lawyer that you are thinking about hiring.
A lawyer told me she never attends her clients’ immigration interviews. A YouTuber said that his lawyer failed to answer the phone from the USCIS officer, leaving the person to fend for themselves at the interview. In today’s video, Jim shares his thoughts on whether to have an attorney join you at USCIS.
Sometimes, couples live apart for financial or other real life reasons. When such a couple applies for an I-130/I-485 adjustment of status, they may want to fudge a bit and not tell USCIS about the fact that they have two different addresses. This is a bad idea as Jim explains in today’s talk.
In this video, Jim discusses what makes his wife Amany (herself an immigrant) a better lawyer than he is. Amany is relentless and Jim shares a few stories (one case related, one not) that show how Amany’s pursuit of justice is never ending. That is what makes her an awesome attorney.
Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to assist the sanitation workers in their efforts to unionize. In today’s video, Jim talks about Dr. King and how Jim believes that immigration in America is a civil rights issue. Dr. King would have been in support of immigrants and in making sure the law was fair.-
We had not 1, not 2 but 3 clients tell us this week that even though they were married and even though one of the members of the couple was applying for a green card based on marriage, that they planned to file their taxes separately, as opposed to jointly. From an immigration standpoint, this is a bad idea. That’s especially true if you don’t have a lot of other marital evidence. Filing singly can really cause problems as discussed in today’s video.
What does “card has been produced” or “oath ceremony scheduled” mean on online portal? We were surprised this week when we found out that some people were confused by USCIS updates so we shot a video to explain!
We may have stumbled upon a new approach in cases when USCIS makes a clear error on a case. We have been testing it out and we have had some early successes. Yes, we still file the I-290b motion to reconsider or reopen. But we have come up with a small little “hack” that might help you get USCIS to reverse the case a little more quickly.
USCIS looks for evidence of fraud in almost every marriage-based green card case. This even extends to I-751s and naturalization based on 3 years of marriage. This week, Jim attended a dumb Stokes interview for a couple that’s been married for 5+ years. Tune in to find out what we learned!
Would you be surprised to learn that 4 out of every 5 visit visas are denied? We don’t find it that unusual, but people really get upset about this. The fact is the State Department has a tremendous amount of discretion in who they let into the U.S. And don’t forget - there is a tremendous backlog right now for immigrant visas. So the consulates are in no hurry to start issuing visit visas left and right. All of these topics are covered in today’s video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
Sponsoring an immigrant family member is tricky and the forms are confusing. Many people ask “how much money does the sponsor need to make?” And how about the co-sponsor? And one of the biggest questions that we get is what if the sponsor or co-sponsor only has one year of good earning history or what if they are just over the 125% of the poverty guideline limits. We look at this important issue in today’s video.
One of the members of our Immigrant Home Facebook group was surprised when the consulate canceled her visit visa. Why did this happen? In today’s video, we talk about how applying for an immigrant visa can lead to the revocation of your non immigrant visa.
The dreaded Notice of Intent to Deny. We are seeing more and more of these “NOID”s and if you receive a NOID, your case is on the ropes. It is likely headed to a denial. Watch this video to find out the exact steps that you need to take if USCIS sends you such a notice.
A lot of think that when you have the conditional 2 year green card that you don’t have the same rights and privileges as a 10 year green card holders. This is an error which we explain in today’s video.
President Trump successfully dismantled the state department and we are now seeing huge delays at embassies around the world. In today’s video, Jim talks about when things might return to normal.
With asylum cases taking longer and longer, some people inside the U.S. who are seeking asylum end up falling in love and marrying a U.S. citizen. The question then becomes - is it best to proceed on the asylum case or is the immigrant better off trying to adjust status based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen. We discuss all the factors that you need to consider in today’s video.
People get mad when USCIS makes a mistake on their case. They reach out and want to know if they can get a refund from the agency due to a mistake on the part of the government. But USCIS is stingy and the chances of a refund are small.
When you want to extend or adjust your status, it is your burden to prove that you were properly inspected. You should track down proof of your inspection before you apply. You do not want to have to find it later with a deadline from USCIS. In this video, we discuss what happens if you can’t immediately located your proof of valid entry.
You find out that your case has been “approved.” But you don’t get the benefit that you requested. What in the heck does that mean? Jim explains in today’s video that this is a zero sum game - you either win or lose and until you have your green card, your citizenship or your visa, your case has not truly been approved.
Immigrant visa petitions can take a really long time. Sometimes, the person who filed the petition becomes a citizen while the petition that they filed for a family member remains pending. Find out how a petitioner’s citizenship approval can affect the long pending petition.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
USCIS and the State Department are working together to bring more scrutiny to your case. If you applied for visit visas before, those applications can come back and haunt you. Discover what kinds of cases can cause you the most trouble by watching this video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
With green card cases taking so long, sometimes marriages end before the benefit is received. What happens when the foreign national beneficiary ends up getting married again and wants to apply through their new US citizen spouse. Special concerns and problems in this situation can arise and we talk about them in today’s video.
Sometimes, clients screw up their case. Other times, it might be a lawyer that makes the mistake. In any event, people are often scared to separate from their existing client. It has happened to us and we meet with people all the time who want a new attorney. The important thing to remember is that you are the boss, as explained in today’s video.
We just went through four dark years on the Immigration front. We have a new administration in town and they are not declaring war every single day on immigrants. We’re seeing substantial and important changes to our immigration policies. Life is getting a lot easier for immigrants and that’s a really good thing.
We did a video a few weeks ago about how long it is taking to get a green card. Work cards are taking longer than they ever have. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? It seems that biometrics have been the hold up. We talk it all through in today’s video.
The reasons for denial are endless. You never know what might sink your case. The important thing to do is to create a strong case with lots of evidence. You want to prevent (if you can) USCIS from getting into certain issues or areas that might lead to a denial. Watch this video to find out how.
Our office stopped suing USCIS and the asylum office for delays in processing I-589 asylum applications last year. And we still have not started suing USCIS for these delays for a few important reasons. We discuss in today’s video.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
Love is in the air. But who wants to have a big wedding in these tough times. People want to know if it is okay to have a small courthouse wedding. Jim discusses this issue in today’s video.
We hear from people all the time - can my niece come here to be our nanny? Can my uncle Tommy come and work at our restaurant because he makes great pizza? How about caregivers for grandma? Jim discusses how most of these creative approaches usually get shut down by USCIS in today’s video.
When a lawful permanent resident is in love with someone overseas, they often ask - can we file an I-129F fiance petition for my beloved? Jim discusses how that won’t work in this scenario and offers alternative solutions to allow the happy couple to be together as soon as possible.
In today’s video, we talk about an old USCIS trick that seems to come back. You should know by now that USCIS is looking for ways to deny your case. Scheduling your interview as fast as possible is an old trick that we see in many different case types, but especially in marriage-based green card cases. We discuss in today’s video.
One of the easiest ways to screw up your case is to mess around with not having a proper lease for you and your spouse. You would not believe some of the messes that we have seen immigrants get into when it comes to leases. We discuss problems like fake leases, unsigned leases and related topics in today’s video.
If you receive a conditional two-year green card based on marriage, you are required to file an I-751 petition to remove those conditions before the your two-year card expires. But what happens if you forget? What if lots of time has gone by? Jim explains best next steps in today’s video
Wondering what your options are if your family member’s immigrant visa is refused? You should watch this video. The fact is that some visa refusals can be overcome, others are pretty much final. Learn what rights you have when a final visa refusal is issued.
Under the Trump Administration, many immigrant visa categories were closed out at the State Department. Many family based visas were stalled at embassies across the world. Last week, President Biden signed a new proclamation doing away with these harsh rules and immigrant visas should begin processing for all.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
People want to know - why was my interview at USCIS or at the embassy canceled? Unfortunately, we have been seeing more and more canceled interviews. The government blames COVID, late arriving files and lots of other imaginary reasons. In this video, Jim discusses this growing problem.
At the Hacking Law Practice we're dedicated to spreading the truth about immigration in the U.S. Our goal is to get people the help they need so that they can live united with their families and live the American dream. I am passionate about my message because I stand for what I truly believe is right. We fight for immigrants and won't be stopping any time soon.
In this video, Jim discusses whether you can actually slow down your immigration case by calling USCIS over and over or by making many service requests. At first, Jim thought this was a crazy question until his team straightened him out.
Jim’s thinking on whether to apply for two immigration benefits at the same time is a good idea has changed over time. In this video, Jim discusses why you may want to take the chance and file for two different benefits at once.
One of our viewers wanted to know if his spouse needed to travel with him when he left the U.S. on advanced parole while his green card case was pending. Jim discusses this and other travel related questions in this latest video.