The Law Office of Raj Bathla, PC.

The Law Office of Raj Bathla, PC. Immigration Law

03/12/2026

🚨 MAJOR BIA UPDATE: SIJS & COURT DELAYS 🚨
A brand new decision, Matter of Pinzon Rozo (March 11, 2026), just changed the game for Special Immigrant Juveniles in removal proceedings.
⚖️ The Ruling: The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled that Immigration Judges should NOT grant continuances (delays) just to wait for a visa priority date to become current if that wait is "uncertain and lengthy."
🔍 What this means for you:
• Even if your SIJS petition (I-360) is APPROVED, the court may no longer wait for you to be able to file for your Green Card (I-485).
• If the DHS opposes the delay, the judge can push your deportation case forward even while you are waiting for a visa.
• This is a massive shift that prioritizes "expeditious enforcement" over waiting for relief eligibility.
⚠️ ATTENTION: If you have an SIJS case in court, talk to your lawyer immediately about how to handle this new precedent.
Stay informed. Stay prepared. ⚖️📱

03/11/2026

🚨 NEW ASYLUM WORK PERMIT UPDATE (Feb 2026) 🚨
The DHS just dropped a massive 400-page proposal that could change everything for asylum seekers. Here is what you need to know:
1️⃣ The Wait is Doubling: They want to move the waiting period for a work permit from 180 days to a full 365 days.
2️⃣ The "Pause" Button: If asylum backlogs get too high, DHS wants the power to stop accepting new work permit applications entirely.
3️⃣ Slow Processing: The current 30-day processing goal would be replaced with a 180-day window.
4️⃣ New Bans: If you entered the U.S. illegally (with few exceptions) or missed the 1-year filing deadline, you could be barred from getting a work permit.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: This is NOT a law yet. It is a "Proposed Rule." You have until April 24, 2026, to submit public comments before they try to make this final.
Follow for updates on the inevitable lawsuits! ⚖️📱

03/10/2026

Good news for immigrants and attorneys:
A federal court has blocked key parts of EOIR’s new BIA rule that would have shortened appeal deadlines to 10 days and expanded summary dismissal of appeals.
For now, the current appeal process remains in place.

02/11/2026

EOIR just issued a new interim rule that reshapes immigration appeals:
⚠️ Appeals will now be summarily dismissed by default
Unless a majority of permanent BIA Board Members vote to accept the case for merits review.
That means many Respondents may get:
❌ No briefing
❌ No written decision
❌ No real appellate review
⏳ Appeal deadline is also being cut from 30 days to 10 days in most cases — including when asylum is denied based on:
• the 1-year filing bar
• a prior asylum denial
• an Asylum Cooperative Agreement bar
📌 Only certain asylum denials keep the 30-day deadline.
And if the Board does accept the appeal?
📑 Briefing is now simultaneous and due in just 20 days — with limited extensions.
This is one of the biggest procedural shifts at the BIA in decades.

12/19/2025

I wanted to share some really good news today.
This was a detained asylum case at the Eloy, Arizona detention center, and it was granted.
These cases are extremely hard, especially in detention, but this is a reminder that hope still exists.
If you take your case seriously and prepare it properly, there is always a chance.

11/29/2025

11-28-2025 Right now, the Trump Administration has:
• a written memo to re-review all refugees admitted under Biden and pause their green cards,
• a public order to re-examine all green cards from 19 ‘countries of concern,’ and
• a DHS official saying they are ‘reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration,’ though we have not yet seen a detailed memo about asylum green cards.

This is serious—but it’s not an automatic cancellation of everyone’s asylum or green card.

My two big recommendations:
1. Keep your address updated with USCIS using Form AR-11 so you don’t miss any notices.
2. Avoid non-essential travel, especially international travel, if your asylum or green card was approved under Biden. Don’t go to your home country, and talk to a lawyer before any big trip.

This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. If you’re worried, talk to a qualified immigration attorney who can review your file.

11/21/2025

11-20-2025 CORRECTION: June 6, 2025 Memo not June 17. 🚨 SIJS UPDATE: BIG WIN FOR IMMIGRANT YOUTH 🚨

A federal court in A.C.R. v. Noem has blocked USCIS from ending the SIJS Deferred Action program.
This means:

✅ SIJS kids approved after April 7, 2025 may now request Deferred Action
✅ If granted, they can apply for a work permit (c)(14)
✅ New SIJS approvals are also eligible for Deferred Action consideration again

Not automatic — but the door is open again. 🟢

Huge news for SIJS youth stuck in visa backlogs.

11/19/2025

🔥 NEW BIA PRECEDENT 🔥
Matter of K-S-H-, 29 I&N Dec. 307 (BIA 2025):
A single rejected police report won’t prove government inability. Asylum seekers must show more than one unhelpful officer.⚖️📚

09/23/2025

ICE will now target people with the help of AI. Please be safe and do not commit address fraud.

02/19/2025

Be ready for your ICE check-in. File your asylum case before you go to check-in. Be ready for Credible Fear Interview.

04/23/2023

Such a shameful demonstration of discretion by
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the matter of JAIRO VEGA V. UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP SERV, et al., No. 16-56795 (9th Cir. 2023). They refused his U Visa on a technicality even though he stopped an active shooter and saved many lives. It sends the wrong message.

Excerpt from the judgment: By all accounts, Mejia Vega demonstrated remarkable courage by intervening to stop an active shooter, and his efforts to care for his wife are equally worthy of praise. But however compelling his objections to USCIS’s denial of a
waiver of inadmissibility may be, judicial review of that
decision is barred by 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii).

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers must be very proud to know their decision in this matter will be instrumental in undocumented immigrants not coming to the aid of others in times of need and emergency.

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