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In a policy memo, published in 2013, the federal immigration agency USCIS clarified its procedures for a little-known immigration law benefit for military families called Parole in Place.  Parole in place allows the spouses, parents, or children of active-duty and retired military to get a Form I-94.

For many immigrants, becoming a citizen of the United States is a lifelong dream, and US citizenship is one of the most important steps that you can take to ensure a secure future for you and your family. Once you become a US citizen, unless you lied or falsified information to do so, your citizenship can never be taken away without your consent. You can never be deported, you’ll know that you’re a full member of our nation, and you can shape the country’s future by voting.

We work with clients from all over the country — indeed, all over the world! But because our office is located in Colorado Springs, we’ve been fortunate to assist many clients from our local military facilities.

Adjustment of Status is a type of case we handle often: a US citizen wants to apply for a green card for his/her husband or wife who is already living here in the United States. The easiest way to do this is through a process called Adjustment of Status using the form I-485.

Last fall, a U.S. Army soldier from Fort Carson here in Colorado Springs found our website and emailed us about getting citizenship.  He explained that in three weeks, he was about to be deployed for the third time to the Middle East.

Immigrating successfully isn’t about luck, it’s about skill and knowledge. Immigration law is very complex. Too many people try it on their own, or cut corners by hiring someone who’s not a licensed attorney — and then they regret it.

We experienced a surge of calls and first-time consults after USCIS (the federal immigration benefits agency) rolled out the implementation of the new stateside provisional waiver process last spring (March 4, 2013, to be exact).

We at Hanes & Bartels LLC have thoroughly enjoyed helping dozens of young people to take advantage of the program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that began on June 15 of 2012. Through these cases, we have helped high school valedictorians, budding scientists, and star high school and college athletes to get some relief from the uncertainty of living without legal immigration status.

Like many of you, we have been closely watching this year as Congress grapples with immigration reform. After the Senate passed its version of comprehensive reform this spring, many immigrant families awaiting change in our outmoded laws rejoiced, but we warned our clients and potential clients that such celebrations were premature.

On April 16, 2013, eight U.S. Senators, known as the “Gang of Eight”, introduced a proposed new immigration law that could transform U.S. immigration law as we know it, and provide opportunities for many immigrants.