Rourke & Rosenberg LLC

Rourke & Rosenberg LLC Immigration attorneys with compassion for their clients and passion for their work.

Stephen Rourke & Cynthia Rosenberg are available to help with your immigration needs, including business and family immigration, naturalizations, VAWA and asylum.

08/03/2026

IF you have withholding of removal and need to go to your annual check-in you WILL BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. It does not matter if you are married to a US citizen. have complied with all check-ins, have work authorization, or pending cases, YOU WILL BE detained and shipped out of state to get you away from family and counsel.. AND, they would not let his wife leave his medications with him. It happened to my client today.

07/25/2026

BIG CHANGES FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS UNDER F1 AND J1

Previously F and J visa holders were admitted for “Duration of Status,” meaning no fixed departure date appeared on their I-94. As long as they maintained full-time enrollment and complied with the terms of their status, they could remain through their program, practical training, and any subsequent programs.

Starting September 15. F and J nonimmigrants will be admitted until a fixed date: the program end date on their I-20 or DS-2019, capped at a maximum of four years. Staying beyond that date requires filing an extension of stay application (Form I-539) with USCIS, with a filing fee, biometrics, and a government adjudication of whether the student has maintained status and can fund their studies.

The post-completion grace period for F-1 students also shrinks from 60 days to 30.

Students already in the United States in valid F or J status on September 15, 2026 receive transitional treatment. They may remain, without filing anything with USCIS, until the program end date on the I-20 or DS-2019 that is valid on that date, or the end of their approved OPT or STEM OPT, whichever applies, capped at September 15, 2030.

Two things can cut that protection short. Travel is one: departing and re-entering the United States after the effective date converts a student to the new fixed-date framework, including the shorter 30-day grace period. Being abroad on the effective date is the other: the transition provisions apply only to people physically present and maintaining status in the U.S. on September 15.

Graduate students face one more constraint: once enrolled, they cannot change programs or transfer schools at any point during their program of study.

The difference between enrolling before and after September 15 is concrete. A student who begins a new program before the effective date transitions with that program’s end date locked in, works with their school’s designated school official the way students always have, and files nothing with USCIS unless they later need more time.

05/22/2026

NO MORE ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS? Let the lawsuits begin

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a new policy memo reiterating the fact that, consistent with long-standing immigration law and immigration court decisions, aliens seeking adjustment of status must do so through consular processing via the Department of State outside of the country. Officers are directed to consider all relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether an alien warrants this extraordinary form of relief.

“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly. From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances. This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes. When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency,” said USCIS Spokesman Zach Kahler.

“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process. Following the law allows the majority of these cases to be handled by the State Department at U.S. consular offices abroad and frees up limited USCIS resources to focus on processing other cases that fall under its purview, including visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications, and other priorities. The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient.”

04/21/2026

No Right to Closing Argument in Immigration Court.

The BIA has done it again in an outrageous decision of Matter of A M Z F, 29 I & N Dec 551 The BIA ultimately held that parties in Immigration Court have no absolute right to give a closing argument. Instead, the ruling established that
Immigration Judges have the authority to control the course of a hearing. This was an asylum case.

Can we all say DUE PROCESS IS DEAD?

Address

3701 Old Court Rd, Ste 6
Pikesville, MD
21208

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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