Linda Sun

【Lead-in】 Recently, news that "a California senator has introduced a new bill under which anyone who has resided continuously in the U.S. for seven years with no criminal record could apply directly for a green card" has sparked widespread discussion within immigrant communities. The bill is championed by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California, who has jointly advanced it with multiple members of Congress. Its core aim is to overhaul, through statutory amendment, the decades-old Registry...

【Lead-in】 For a long time, many U.S. immigration applicants—including those filing H-1B petitions, green card applications, OPT, and family-based petitions—have operated under a psychological crutch: "Even if my materials aren't fully prepared or contain flaws, it doesn't matter—USCIS will issue an RFE (Request for Evidence) or NOID (Notice of Intent to Deny), giving us a second chance to supplement the file." That convention has now been completely shattered! USCIS's latest policy guidance...

【Lead-in】 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued its latest Policy Alert (PA-2026-10), formally amending the USCIS Policy Manual to eliminate the "General Waiver" of "Neighborhood Investigations" that had been in place for more than thirty years. Neighborhood Investigations will now be fully incorporated into the routine adjudication of naturalization applications (Form N-400)—effective immediately. This means that when reviewing naturalization applications, immigration...