Illinois Recent Legal Answers from Lawyers

Please note that the Trump administration has just come out with a policy memo on May 22, 2026, describing the adjustment of status process as a loophole and that it should only be approved under extraordinary circumstances. It will take time to discern what the effect will be on future filings. Even without the memo, however, we would not normally recommend an adjustment of status process for your wife as she already has a pending I-130 petition with USCIS, which connotes that she has immigrant intent, and her entry under a B visa status may be looked at as a way for her to circumvent consular processing if you move forward with the adjustment application. (I note that the priority date that you mention, 6/4/2026, is inaccurate as we are still in the month of May). Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

As my colleague pointed out, you may have two cases. The first is against your employer for workers comp. The second case may be against the property owner where you fell if your injuries were caused by that property owners negligence. Reach out to a personal injury attorney to evaluate both claims. If you need help finding one, reach out to one of us on this platform. One of us would be glad to help.  ... Read Answer

You can usually order a birth certificate online - just make sure you are going to the actual government's vital records website, not some website that will do it for you and charge you. It does have a cost, but less if you go straight to the vital records department's website in your county.  ... Read Answer

The fact the Bangladesh is on the list of 75 countries for which immigrant visas cannot be issued does not mean that a case cannot be processed up to the interview stage. In a normal case, processing takes approximately 1 ½-2 years before reaching the interview stage. So your son could file the I-130 petition for alien relative, and assuming that it is approved, his wife can begin the consular process in which your financial support will be relevant. Hopefully, by the time that her case reaches the interview stage, the travel ban will no longer be in existence. If it is, she and your son would have to look at any way under which it could be waived. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

We are happy to confirm that an individual in valid F-1 student status is legally in the country and not removable even if his or her TPS status is terminated. You must of course still qualify as a full-time student according to the regulations. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

To determine which documents you’ve filed with USCIS, you may submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. However, it’s often wise to retain an experienced immigration attorney to handle your case from start to finish, minimizing the risk of errors. Many of us offer affordable flat fees and can represent clients in any U.S. state — or even abroad — since immigration law is federal.  ... Read Answer

Besides the question of having employer A go along with you when you are no longer employed by A, kindly note that your proposed move may encounter a later difficulty with USCIS if it questions the rationale behind an employer further sponsoring where you have gone your separate ways. Among the grounds for which I-140 petition approvals can be revoked are fraud and misrepresentation. You may wish to think this over before going in this direction. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

If you are a US citizen, and you are not ready for marriage yet, you could always sponsor him for a fiancé visa. The fiancé visa takes about a year prior to when he can actually legally enter the United States, but you would have to get married to him within 90 days after he arrives in the US. Then he can be sponsored for a green card. This will buy you at least one year of time before you commit to marriage. One of the conditions for the fiancé visa is that you have to physically meet your fiancé within two years prior to filing for the K-1 application. Consider working with an attorney. Some of us charge a very affordable flat fee. ... Read Answer

You should send a letter to USCIS that your unmarried son has married. In the event that USCIS does not acknowledge your information and approves your petition for your son as unmarried, you should give the information in the next step of the process when your son’s approved petition is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC). Please note that your son’s category will change from the F-1 category for unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens to F-3 married sons and daughters of US citizens. That will lengthen the time of his processing. For the month of November 2024, final immigration interviews are being given to unmarried sons and daughters those petitions were filed prior to October 22, 2015 whereas married sons and daughters were only being interviewed whose I-130 petitions were received before April 15, 2010. You can notify the NVC later at its email address after USCIS ships the approved petition to the Center. You cannot add the spouse after your son receives his green card as that would constitute fraud in having him immigrate under a category to which he is no longer entitled. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

As USCIS processing times are not certain, and you would like your new employment authorization to be in effect in approximately three months, you should probably start at this point. Kindly note that eligibility for H-4 work is restricted to those whose principal H-1B holder spouse has either an approved 1-140 petition or has applied for a labor certification application or employment based immigrant visa petition which has been pending at least 365 days. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

In our opinion, a traffic courtesy reminder does not count as a citation by law enforcement when applying for naturalization. A citation has a penalty to it, while a courtesy reminder does not. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

In almost every state, a dog owner can sue for only vet bills but not sue for the owners emotional distress for the dogs suffering. This is because the law treats dogs as personal property and thus only economic out of pocket losses can be recovered. To all dog lovers like myself, I wish it was not so because dogs are family members. But keep looking for counsel to assist. A few states do have more legal remedies, over and above economic loss recovery remedies, for dog injuries. ... Read Answer

If you are attempting to file adjustment of status for your mother who is here in the US, that would be a paper filing featuring forms I-130, I-485, and I-864. If you are attempting to file for your mother who is overseas and will interview for her immigrant visa at the US consulate or embassy abroad, the I-864 support document does not come into effect until the I-130 is approved and the case forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC). In such case, the I-130 petition can be filed online. The I-864 will be requested in the second part of the case by the NVC. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

You need an experienced attorney who practices in the area of civil rights.  You can search for such an attorney using the "Find a Lawyer" tab and then by entering "civil rights" in the practice area search box.  As this will likely be a federal court case, you can search outside of your city and county in any place that is still within the same federal district (Illinois has three).This type of case can be extremely time-consuming and costly, the likelihood of success is generally low, and the amount of damages can be limited.  So be prepared to pay an hourly fee and to deposit a reasonable initial retainer ($25,000-30,000) with a competent attorney.Although there is no legal requirement that you have an attorney, this sort of case is kind of like rebuilding a motor vehicle transmission.  You legally CAN do it yourself but not very many people have the knowledge, skill, training, and experience to do it themselves, including most attorneys who do not practice in that area of law.  If you truly have a 100% guaranteed winning case, invest the $100,000+ in a good, competent, experienced lawyer who practices in that area of law.... Read Answer

With your asylum claim already having been granted, you cannot add a new person onto your case at this time. You can sponsor a spouse when you obtain permanent residence, but that will take time as you are not eligible to receive resident status until you have been in asylee status for at least one year. Under present rules, you can apply ahead of time although the consequences have not been spelled out by USCIS as to what will happen if it reaches your case for adjustment before the year is out. When you do receive permanent residence, the question of whether your spouse will be able to adjust status depends upon her maintaining legal status until she is able to file for I-485 adjustment. Currently, the F-2A category for LPR filing for spouses is backed up six months under the March 2024 visa bulletin chart for dates of filing. Therefore, she would likely have to maintain some form of legal nonimmigrant status for approximately a year and ½ or even longer before she could file for adjustment. If she files for asylum while in status, and her case is pending at the time she is able to file for adjustment, the law is split as to whether she would be allowed to adjust with the majority view being that she would not be able to do so. You may wish to check the law on this point in your intended circuit court of residence when your wife is eligible for adjustment. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

At some point or other, your parents will likely find out that you are married. You are the primary financial sponsor as the petitioner, and as such, your parents can be expected to bring in an updated affidavit of support from you and the cosponsor at the time of their interview. The only way that they would not know is if you did not disclose on the I-864 form that you are married. In addition, such nondisclosure may constitute a misrepresentation on your part as your marrying would add one more person to the number in your household, which may be relevant if your income and assets are borderline in supporting your parents. Your parents require your affidavit of support, and if the amount of support is not sufficient, another affidavit of support from a joint sponsor. They cannot just bring in the joint sponsor’s affidavit of support. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer

I am not aware that there are any restrictions on a K-1 visa for an individual going from Chile to Argentina and back to Chile before coming to the US under that visa. The only restriction of which I am aware in that context is that the individual must enter the US before the ending date of the visa. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.... Read Answer