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Anuncios y noticias de Aguinaga Law Group y el mundo de inmigración

A blog by Melissa Aguinaga on United States immigration law.

Latest News


Aguinaga Law Group Has a New Home in Orlando

4 May 2026

Aguinaga Law Group is pleased to announce that, as of May 4, 2026, our Orlando office has moved to a new location.

Our new address is:

Aguinaga Law Group
1420 East Concord Street
Orlando, Florida 32803

We are grateful to our clients, colleagues, and Central Florida community for their continued trust and support, and we look forward to welcoming you to our new office.

Our phone number remains the same at 407-270-9020.

If you have an upcoming appointment with our office, please be sure to use our new East Concord Street address when planning your visit.

We look forward to seeing you at our new home!


USCIS Provides Updated Guidance on Work Permits and Deferred Action for Noncitizen Crime Victims

15 June 2021

The guidance applies both to direct victims applying for a U visa, a type of nonimmigrant visa for crime victims, as well as their qualifying family members. Here are the highlights:

  • USCIS will perform an initial review and issue work permits and deferred action for 4 years for nonimmigrant status and qualifying family members if USCIS determines the petition is bona fide, or genuine and made without intention to deceive, rather than making victims wait for a complete adjudication;
  • If USCIS determines that a petition is bona fide, it will asses whether the petitioner poses a risk to national security or public safety, and, finally, whether the petitioner should receive a work permit and deferred action;
  • If a petitioner does not pass this bona fide test after initial review, their application will proceed to the waiting list for full adjudication. If their petition is then approved, they will be placed on the waiting list for a U visa. Once a petitioner is placed on the waiting list, they and their qualifying family members will receive deferred action. If they have properly filed for a work permit, they will receive one valid for four years;
  • If a petitioner's application is found to be bona fide on initial review, they will not be placed on the waiting list. Instead, their petition will be reviewed for a final adjudication for a U visa when space is available under the statutory cap;
  • Throughout the initial four year validity period for a work permit and deferred action, USCIS will review background checks regularly to determine whether a petitioner and their qualifying family members can keep their work permits and grant of deferred action. USCIS may update background and security checks at any time when warranted by case-specific circumstances;
  • All petitions will be reviewed in receipt date order for final adjudication of U visa nonimmigrant status.
  • When considering a relationship between a petitioner and their qualifying family members based on marriage, USCIS will evaluate whether the relationship existed when the petition was granted, rather than when the petition was filed.

President Biden Suspends Prior Administration's Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants

14 May 2021

In A Proclamation on Revoking Proclamation 9945, President Biden announced:

The suspension of entry imposed in Proclamation 9945 of October 4, 2019(Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System, in Order To Protect the Availability of Healthcare Benefits for Americans), does not advance the interests of the United States. My Administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare. We can achieve that objective, however, without barring the entry of noncitizens who seek to immigrate lawfully to this country but who lack significant financial means or have not purchased health insurance coverage from a restrictive list of qualifying plans. The suspension of entry imposed in Proclamation 9945 is also in tension with the policy set forth in section 1 of Executive Order 14012 of February 2, 2021 (Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans).

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 212(f ) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f ) and 1185(a), hereby find that the unrestricted entry into the United States of noncitizen immigrants based solely on the reasons articulated in Proclamation 9945 is not detrimental to the interests of the United States....


For more information, visit whitehouse.gov or contact Aguinaga Law Group.


USCIS Announces Changes to Biometric Services

11 May 2021


Today, USCIS released the following news alert:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that applicants, petitioners, requestors and beneficiaries may now call the USCIS Contact Center (800-375-5283) to reschedule their biometric services appointments scheduled at a USCIS Application Support Center. Previously, applicants had to submit requests in writing to reschedule their biometrics appointments. This change helps eliminate undue paperwork and allows USCIS to track the request through a more efficient process.
Applicants must establish good cause for rescheduling and must call before the date and time of their original appointment to reschedule. If an applicant fails to call before the scheduled appointment or fails to establish good cause, USCIS may consider the application, petition, or request abandoned and, as a result, it may be denied.

Additionally, USCIS announced a temporary suspension of the biometrics requirement for certain tourist visa extension applications (I-539) effective May 17, 2021.

Effective May 17, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will temporarily suspend the biometrics submission requirement for certain applicants filing Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, requesting an extension of stay in or change of status to H-4, L-2, and E nonimmigrant status. USCIS will allow adjudications for those specific categories to proceed based on biographic information and related background checks, without capturing fingerprints and a photograph. This suspension will apply through May 17, 2023, subject to affirmative extension or revocation of the suspension period by the USCIS director.
This temporary suspension will apply to applicants filing Form I-539 requesting the following:
  • Extension of stay in or change of status to H-4 nonimmigrant status;
  • Extension of stay in or change of status to L-2 nonimmigrant status;
  • Extension of stay in or change of status to E-1 nonimmigrant status;
  • Extension of stay in or change of status to E-2 nonimmigrant status (including E-2C (E-2 CNMI Investor)); or
  • Extension of stay in or change of status to E-3 nonimmigrant status (including those selecting E-3D).
This suspension will apply only to the above categories of Form I-539 applications that are either:
  • Pending as of May 17, 2021, and have not yet received a biometric services appointment notice; or
  • New applications postmarked or submitted electronically on or after May 17, 2021.

For more information, visit USCIS's website or contact Aguinaga Law Group.


By Melissa Aguinaga, Esq.

Melissa Aguinaga

As an immigrant, Melissa Aguinaga has experienced the United States immigration system first-hand and firmly believes in its importance to the United States.

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Telephone 407-270-9020

Facsimile 407-730-7258

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1420 East Concord Street, Orlando, Florida 32803

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Monday through Friday from to ET.