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Recent Blog Posts
The Green Card Earthquake: What the New USCIS Memo Means for You
If your phone has not stopped ringing this weekend, you are not alone. On Friday, May 22, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memo that is causing serious concern across the immigrant community. Immigration attorneys are fielding urgent calls. Online forums are full of rumors and fear. Everyone is asking the same question: What does this mean for me?
The honest answer is that this memo creates more questions than it answers. But there is a lot you can understand right now, and there are important steps you should NOT take before speaking with a qualified immigration attorney.
What Just Happened?
On May 22, 2026, USCIS issued Policy Memo PM-602-0199. This memo changes how the government will decide green card applications for people who are already living in the United States.
The process being affected is called Adjustment of Status (AOS). Adjustment of Status is how many immigrants apply for a green card without having to leave the United States. Instead of going to a U.S. embassy in another country, you file Form I-485 here and wait for approval.
Married a US Citizen After Being Placed in Removal Proceedings? Here's What You Need To Know
If you were placed in removal proceedings and then married a US citizen, here is the hard truth: the government already presumes your marriage is a fraud. You are not going to get an easy continuance to wait for your I-130 to be adjudicated. You need to be ready to walk into immigration court and prove your marriage is real.
What Is a Hashmi Hearing?
A Hashmi hearing is named after Matter of Hashmi, 24 I&N Dec. 785 (BIA 2009), a Board of Immigration Appeals decision that set out the framework an immigration judge uses when deciding whether to give you more time in removal proceedings because of a pending I-130 petition filed by your US citizen spouse.
USCIS Just Changed the Rules for Special Immigrant Juveniles. Here's What Families Need to Know.
If you have a child in your care who may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, there is a policy change you need to understand right now.
What Changed
On April 10, 2026, USCIS announced the rescission of the 2022 SIJ deferred action policy. The new policy took effect May 10, 2026. For all SIJ-based Forms I-360 filed on or after that date, USCIS will no longer automatically conduct deferred action determinations for SIJs who cannot apply for adjustment of status solely because an immigrant visa is not immediately available.
In plain English: before this change, when a child was approved for SIJ status but could not yet get a green card due to visa backlogs, USCIS would automatically consider protecting them from deportation and allowing them to work legally while they waited. That automatic protection is now gone.
Who Is SIJ Status For?
If you are in the United States and need the protection of a juvenile court because you have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, you may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile classification. If SIJ classification is granted, you may qualify for lawful permanent residency.
What are you actually signing when ICE asks you to agree to leave?
ICE is showing up with paperwork and telling people it is "for your deportation." But not all documents are the same, and no one is required to sign anything. Here is what you need to know before you put your name on anything.
The Department of Homeland Security is ramping up arrests across the country. When people are detained, ICE officers are showing up with paperwork and pressuring them to sign. Some of these documents give up your right to go before an immigration judge. Others do not. Knowing the difference could change the rest of your life.
What does a removal order actually mean?
Before going through each document, it helps to understand what a removal order does — because avoiding one is the main reason DHS uses these agreements as leverage.
Important: Choosing to leave voluntarily to avoid a removal order does not mean you will automatically have a pathway to come back. Most people who lived in the US without status for more than one year still face a separate 10-year bar, even without a formal removal order on their record.
San Francisco's immigration court is officially closing
The Montgomery Street location already shut down May 1st. The Sansome Street location, the last one standing, closes permanently on September 4, 2026.
That means nearly 180,000 combined cases are now being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court.
If your case was in San Francisco, it is moving to Concord. You will receive a new hearing notice. Do NOT miss it.
Here's what you should do right now:
✅ Update your address with the court
✅ Check your case status on the EOIR portal
✅ Talk to an attorney before your new hearing date
Immigration Scammers Are Targeting Desperate Immigrants. Here Is How to Protect Yourself in 2026
Immigration scams are surging across the country in 2026. These are not small time con artists. These are sophisticated criminal operations that look completely real. They have professional websites, hundreds of social media followers, official looking logos, and in some cases, they even set up fake immigration courts complete with a person dressed as a judge, all over a video call.
Real people are losing thousands of dollars. Real families are having their cases destroyed. And in many situations, victims are too afraid to report it because of their immigration status.
Who Is Being Targeted?
Scammers target immigrants who are scared. It is that simple.
In the current climate, with mass deportation fears, policy changes happening every week, and courts backed up for years, millions of immigrants are desperately looking for help. That desperation is exactly what these criminals exploit.
The communities most commonly targeted include:
Habeas Corpus vs. Mandamus: Two Legal Tools Every Immigrant Needs to Know
If you or someone you love is navigating the U.S. immigration system right now, there are two legal tools that could change everything: Habeas Corpus and the Writ of Mandamus. They sound complicated, but understanding the difference between them could be the difference between freedom and detention — or between waiting years for an answer and finally getting one.
At Hafey & Karim, we help immigrants across the country fight back using every legal tool available. This guide breaks down both options in plain language.
What Is Habeas Corpus in Immigration Cases?
US Visa Applicants Must Now Make Social Media Profiles Public. Are You Ready?
If you are applying for a US visa right now, there is a new rule you need to know about before your interview.
The US Department of State now requires certain visa applicants to set all of their social media profiles to public before their consular interview. This is not optional. If your profiles are private, or if you do not disclose your accounts, your visa could be delayed — or denied.
This rule has been expanding fast. It started in June 2025 for students and exchange visitors, grew in December 2025 to include H-1B workers, and expanded again in March 2026 to cover a much wider group of visa categories. If you have an upcoming visa interview, this may already apply to you.
Which Visas Are Affected?
As of right now, the following visa categories are required to have their social media profiles set to public:
Since June 2025:
- F visa (academic students)
It’s Been a Minute: Updates from Our Immigration Law Firm
It’s Been a Minute
It’s been a minute since we’ve published anything here—and it’s not because we’ve been out of the loop.
If you’ve been following us, you’ve probably seen that we post almost daily on social media. We cover immigration news, policy updates, changes in immigration law, and share practical tips people can actually use. A lot of the time, that’s the fastest way for us to get information out, especially with how quickly things change.
That said, the blog still matters. It gives us space to slow things down and explain things more clearly—whether you’re trying to understand your options, a specific visa, or what it’s like working with an immigration lawyer in Texas.
What’s Changed Since Our Last Post
A few things.
We moved into a larger office—not anything excessive, just a space that better fits where we are and where we’re going.
San Francisco Immigration Court to Close, Cases Move to Concord Court
If you have a case at the San Francisco Immigration Court, you are probably wondering what is going to happen to your case. The San Francisco Immigration Court is closing, and most cases will be moved to the Concord Immigration Court. This is causing confusion and fear for many families whose loved ones have upcoming appointments that were meant to be heard this year.
If your case is being moved from San Francisco in 2026, our Concord immigration attorneys are right here and ready to help.
What Is Happening to the San Francisco Immigration Court in 2026?
The San Francisco Immigration Court is shutting its doors by January 2027. All remaining court personnel are being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court, which is about 30 miles away. A small number of courtrooms at the Department of Homeland Security's San Francisco detention facility at 630 Sansome Street will remain open, but the main courthouse is closing.
Our firm provides representation for people throughout the United States. From our Concord office, we serve clients in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, San Pablo, Richmond, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, San Bruno, San Mateo, Palo Alto, San Jose, Mountain View, Milpitas, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Campbell. Additionally, we serve clients in Texas cities including, Plano, Frisco, Allen, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine, Coppell, and Fort Worth.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
