I’m Amanda Emerson, an immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I work with both employment-based and family-based immigration cases.

A lot of immigration questions aren't really about finding a single visa. They’re about figuring out which move makes sense next.

Should an H-1B holder pursue a green card now? What happens after a layoff? Is EB-1 or EB-2 realistic? Does marriage change the strategy? Should someone adjust status or go through consular processing? What happens when circumstances change halfway through a case?

I’ll be answering questions today from 4 PM to 8 PM ET. Bring me the immigration scenario you’re trying to make sense of, and I’ll explain the issues I’d be looking at.

Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney client relationship. Your situation may require fact specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

I have a relative that's a green card holder. She has a dui-felony case that has been closed already. It was back in 2013 and sentence is done.

Is it safe for her to travel from chicago to California? She has a real ID. Will TSA check her immigration status and her criminal record?

been here for 20+ years and didn't renew daca. had one dwi years ago and dealt with it.

i've been talking to multiple lawyers here's what they tell me

asylum-no.

42b- no? because he has no kids or spouse that are citizens. BUT mother is currently in the works for residency.

habeas corpus -no

what i believe were going to try to do in withholding? not exactly sure atm until lawyer can talk with him.

QUESTION

what are his chances of staying here.

Good afternoon,

I accepted a position at an Immigration law firm as a Legal Writing Specialist today. It is remote but there is a local office. A little about me is that my background is in medical transcription histology/pathology, FAA regulatory compliance. I protest against ice locally and I hate to see what's going on right now. I also am a paralegal studies student in their first semester at this time and hope to go on further in immigration as well as volunteer in wrongful conviction litigation. So I'm starting this position as entry level. Can any lawyers out there give me a heads up on what I should expect for training, template work, anything you think might be helpful? I want to do exceptional work for the clients by appropriately supporting paralegal staff in assisting attorneys. Thank you

Im on initial OPT and Im in love with a US citizen we have been dating since 8 months and planning to get married ,Im currently pursuing an unpaid internship while applying for paid jobs my fiancé too doesn't have a high paying job we have travelled only in the state where we both live and have many pictures together no leases or shared finances yet if we decide to use a co signer for our application what are our chances ? I've decided I wont apply for STEM extension and just apply for AOS instead before my initial OPT ends...

I noticed many law firms in NYC do immigration + real estate + personal injury + family law. I have an adjustment of status case involving criminal history, and need to respond to an RFE, and I want to choose the best possible lawyer, however many of the firms seem to cater to multiple types of law. Should these be considered, or should I look for a firm that only does immigration law?

Hi all,

I submitted a B1/B2 visa application back in Nov 2024 and received the visa recently.

On my US visa foil, wrong Date of Birth is listed. When I checked my DS160, it was entered wrong at the time(listed Jan instead of Feb).

What are my options now? How do I remedy this?

My wife and I are Pakistani citizens who have been living and working legally in China for around 10 years. She may apply for a J-1 research visa, while I and our children would apply for J-2 visas.

We are planning to apply from China rather than Pakistan because China is our current country of residence.

For anyone who has applied for a J-1/J-2 from a country other than their country of citizenship, did the consular officer consider your employment and long-term residence in that country as evidence of ties, or did they focus mainly on ties to your country of citizenship?

I would especially appreciate experiences from people who applied while working abroad long term.

Hello everyone. My wife and I are Pakistani citizens, but we have been living in China for around 10 years. My wife is planning to apply for a J-1 visa for a postdoctoral/research position in the U.S., and I and our two children would apply for J-2 visas.

We are not Chinese citizens, but we are legally residing and working in China. I am currently working as a teacher in China, and my wife is also working in research.

We are considering applying for the U.S. visas from China rather than Pakistan because China is where we currently live and work.

My main concern is about proving strong ties. For a J-1/J-2 visa, does “home country” mainly mean Pakistan because we are Pakistani citizens, or can our long-term residence, employment, family life, and legal status in China also count as strong ties?

Since we have lived in China for many years and have established jobs and a normal family life here, what documents would be useful to show our ties to China and Pakistan?

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has applied for a J-1/J-2 visa from a third country where they had been living long term.

I am on H1B and there’s a pending criminal case against me back home from a matrimonial dispute — the cruelty/family-complaint type that’s common in contested separations. No arrest, no conviction, fully contested, and my lawyers there are pursuing a quashing petition in the High Court. It’s purely a home-country matter — nothing in the US at all.

What I’m hoping to hear real experiences on:

\*\*1.\*\*  Does a pending \*foreign\* case (no conviction) affect an in-US H-1B extension?    
\*\*2.\*\*  At the green card / adjustment stage, how did disclosing a \*pending, unconvicted\* foreign case actually go — RFE, delay, anything worse?    
\*\*3.\*\*  If you disclosed something like this, how did you and your attorney word it? Did context (contested, no conviction, quashing pending) help?

I already have a US immigration attorney and I’m following their advice just looking to hear from people who’ve been through it.

I’m Lois K. a U.S. immigration attorney, and I’d like to start doing occasional Q&As here.
If you have a question about:
• Green cards & adjustment of status
• Marriage-based immigration
• Removal/deportation proceedings
• Asylum
• Work permits
• Citizenship/naturalization
• Immigration forms & procedures
Drop your question below. I’ll answer what I can based on the information you provide.

Disclaimer: General info only - not a legal advice or an attorney client relationship.

Edited: That is all for today! I’ll be back later this week.

My Albania visa got rejected, I have appealed. will it work? what is the success rate of appeal for Albania visa?

I have a valid i-797A that expires Feb 2027, renewal petition has been filed a few weeks ago.

Planning to bring my expired and new passport as well as i-797A original document with me as well.

Should I be worried? No removal status, no violation on anything. Just a regular worker here.

P.S. Flying from LAX. Nationality is Taiwan (R.O.C).

Hey everyone,

Looking to share my recent experience and get a sanity check from anybody who’s gone through a similar situation or can provide candid feedback/guidance.

I am a Canadian citizen. My fiancée is also a Canadian citizen, but she lives and works in the US on an E-2 visa. We are scheduled to get married in the US in the next few days. I attempted to cross a land border from Canada to the US with a return ticket home.

I was pulled into secondary inspection and ultimately refused admission into the US.

What happened at the border: • The officer claimed that I cannot get married in the US on visitor/B-2 status (which I now realize isn't strictly true on its yown. Getting married on B-2 is legal if you intend to leave but the rest of my situation derailed it).

• I was open with the officer about our plans after he had dig into my intentions: I explained that we were getting married, that I had a return ticket back to Canada, and that after getting married, I intended to apply for E-2 dependent (E-2S) status so I could legally live with her in the US.

• The officer told me that because I intend to reside/immigrate to the US long-term to be with my partner, I don't have non-immigrant intent under B-2 visitor rules. He kept calling it a "grey area," but ended up refusing my entry.

• He handed me a standard "Notice of Refusal of Admission/Parole into the United States" paper slip. Interestingly, the officer didn't sign or print his name on the physical paper sheet, just filled out the time, date, my name/DOB, and checked the box, though I know it's logged electronically in the DHS system regardless.

I was pretty shocked and frustrated at the time because I had a return ticket, but after looking into the actual mechanics of"preconceived intent," I can sort of see why declaring an intention to change/transition to living in the US triggers an automatic entry denial on visitor status. Though I’m still unclear as to how this “grey area” works if I’m able to wed in the US, and have a track record of returning to a Canada in a timely-manner.

My fiancée and I have been working tirelessly to arrange our upcoming wedding in the US in the next few days. She works an incredibly demanding job, where me coming to the US to do it makes her life so much easier than coming back to Canada to do it.

Is there anything I can do to dispute the decision, or somehow make my way to the US to make it in time for the wedding? I travel to the US ~3-6x per year for business and tourism, and have never had any ill-intentions of overstaying or issues at the border.

Which country offers the best work-life balance for migration and starting a family?