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State Court Process for Special Immigrant Juveniles: Filing for Custody or Guardianship
In a recent blog post, we gave an overview of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), a federal immigration law that creates a path to lawful permanent resident (“green card”) status for abused, abandoned, and neglected children. Under federal…
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Unlawful Presence for Non-Immigrant Students: What You Need to Know
Contributor: Van T. Doan
On August 9, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that could affect people with certain visa or non-immigrant statuses in the United States. These include: • Student (F-1 and F-2 dependents) • Exc…
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What to Expect From Your Green Card Marriage Interview
Contributor: Van T. Doan
If you are a foreign national married to a U.S. citizen, you may plan to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States—commonly known as a “green card” holder. You probably know that part of this process involves an interview wi…
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I-864 Affidavit of Support and Prenups — Is the Obligation Waivable?
Contributor: Van T. Doan
Can a prenuptial or premarital agreement waive the support obligations that a sponsor assumes when he or she signs the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for a spouse? The answer is … maybe. Different federal courts, just within the last few years…
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Assisted Reproductive Technology and Citizenship
Contributor: Van T. Doan
Who is a child’s parent? The question is not as simple as it appears. With the development and increasing use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), including surrogacy, legal issues have arisen around what parenthood means when it comes to…
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Prenuptial Agreements and I-864 Affidavits of Support
Contributor: Van T. Doan
Any alien who seeks to become a legal permanent resident (LPR) of the United States as an immediate relative or family preference immigrant is inadmissible if he or she is likely to become a public charge. To prevent the likelihood that an LPR would…
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International Child Custody, Jurisdiction, and UCCJEA
Contributor: Van T. Doan
The Uniform Child Custody, Jurisdiction, and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a uniform state law approved in 1997 to govern state courts’ jurisdiction to make and modify child custody determinations. Such determinations include custody and visitati…
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: A Change in Maryland Law
Contributor: Van T. Doan
Recent changes to Maryland law that take effect on October 1, 2014, bring state law into alignment with existing federal law, and benefit a population that has often fallen through the cracks: abandoned, neglected, or abused young immigrants between…
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Sentenced to [Married] Life To Avoid Jail Sentence
Frederick Wood of Maryland may have avoided jail time today by marrying the alleged victim. Back in November 2009, Wood was involved in a domestic altercation with his then girlfriend. The police report noted several injuries to the girlfriend. On Ma…
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Categories: Family Law
Maryland Child Support Guidelines Up For Review
Today, Maryland is considering revising its mandatory child support guidelines for the first time in twenty-two years. When the child support guidelines became mandatory in 1988, it was based on a matrix developed to determine how much parents were e…
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Categories: Family Law