What if we told you that Frank Lloyd Wright, Tom Petty, Elton John, Toni Braxton, Kim Basinger, Andy Gibb, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ted Nugent, Wayne Newton, and Willie Nelson had also filed bankruptcy? 

We’ll add Marvin Gaye, MC Hammer, Meatloaf, Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Cole, Mike Tyson, Walt Disney, Marion Jones, Ed McMahon, Gary Coleman, Anna Nicole Smith, Larry King, Sara Ferguson, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Chaka Khan, George Jones, Mickey Rooney, Burt Reynolds, Lynn Redgrave, Margot Kidman, Lorraine Bracco, and Johnny Paycheck.

Then there was Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley, Levi Morton, George McGovern, John Connally, Leon Spinks, Joe Lewis, Johnny Unitas, Bjorn Borg, Dorothy Hamill, Frank Baum, Oscar Wilde, Susan Powter, and Kate O’Brien.

Even Henry Ford filed bankruptcy.

At one time, all of these people filed bankruptcy because they were under severe financial stress and needed a fresh start.  Most of these, the bankrupt of the rich and famous, went on to work hard and build wealth.  You can too. 

Read those names again.  If you think you may need bankruptcy protection, you are in good company and are only one person among the approximately 2 million+ people, who will file bankruptcy this year. 

Get Good Legal Advice:  Consult with a Qualified Bankruptcy Lawyer

Bankruptcy is a very specialized area of law; be sure your attorney focuses his or her practice on bankruptcy and helping people like you.   You can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com.  Your next step is to contact us. 

Even if you are not sure whether bankruptcy is the right action for you at this time, get good legal advice from a qualified bankruptcy attorney now.  Bankruptcy may be inevitable or it may be preventable and you need to understand your individual situation. 

Planning ahead usually provides more opportunities and may save your home, car, jewelry, retirement monies, insurance, and other assets.  Most people who file bankruptcy get to keep all of their assets, except those they voluntarily give up because they no longer want to make the payments.

If Sam Walton can file bankruptcy and come back to found the super successful WalMart, and HJ Heinz can come back and found Heinz, you can come back and take good care of yourself and your family.  Best of luck with your fresh start!  You deserve it.

Continuing Armed Conflict and Drought Cited as Basis for TPS Extension

The DHS explains, “[t]he extension of the current Somalia TPS designation is due to the continued disruption of living conditions in the country based upon extraordinary and temporary conditions that prompted the U.S. Attorney General’s re-designation of Somalia for TPS on Sept. 4, 2001. The Secretary’s re-designation is based on ongoing armed conflict and the worsening of the extraordinary and temporary conditions, including the effects of the recent severe drought in Somalia.”

Somali National Reregistration May 1 through July 2, 2012

If you are a Somali national in the U.S. based upon TPS, you must re-register to maintain this status through March 17, 2014.    Consult with a qualified immigration attorney to determine if you qualify.  Only about 250 people will qualify.

Former Somali Resident Registration and Re-Designation May 1 through October 29, 2012

If you are not a Somali national but have habitually resided in Somalia, you can apply for re-designation through October 29, 2012.  This will provide you protection under TPS through March 17, 2014.  Consult with a qualified immigration attorney to determine if you qualify.  Only about 1,000 people will qualify.

Filing Fees May be Waived

Applicants can apply to have filing fees waived by submitting a written request or by filing Form I-912.  If neither a waiver request nor the fees are submitted, applications will be rejected.

Where to Get Qualified Immigration Law Legal Help

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages eligible individuals to re-register or re-designate TPS as soon as possible.

If you are from Somalia or have lived in Somalia, consult with a qualified immigration lawyer to determine whether you qualify for the TPS extension.  We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day. 

Your next step is to contact our office:  513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com.  We will walk you through your immigration issues and the process, guiding you, filling out all the forms on your behalf, and, even aggressively representing you in court and before the Department of State, if need be. 

Now everytime I write an artical like this one I have people ask me why tell potential clients how they can find an immigration attorney other than you?  The reasons are simple and clear.  First, our office provides a high level of client service, we can only help a limited number of people.  Second we are not the best fit for everyone.  Before we accept a new client they are reviewed for the legal services they request and their compatability with our office.  When we accept a new client we are doing so with the understanding that we will be available for not only this immigration matter, but any future matter as well.  We want to make sure we are a good match for the client.

How to Find a Qualified Immigration Attorney Nutshelled

It’s important to work with an attorney who focuses his or her legal practice on immigration law.  To find a good immigration attorney:

1. Ask friends, family, neighbors, and community members for a personal referral.
2. Ask the local bar association or professional advisors (such as general practice attorneys, estate planning attorneys, CPAs, or financial advisors) for referrals.
3. Google (or use your favorite search engine) and search “How to Find a Good Immigration Attorney”. 
4. Chat with each potential attorney and hire whomever you feel most comfortable with. 

How to Work with Your Immigration Attorney

Here are some hints that will help your attorney get the job done right and in a timely manner.

1. Provide all documentation requested as soon as possible.
2. Disclose all relevant information and, if in doubt, error on the side of disclosure.
3. Be completely honest with your attorney, remembering that your attorney will keep everything you tell him or her confidential.
4. Follow your attorney’s direction.  If your attorney asks you to do something, be sure to do it and do it in a timely manner. 
5. Let your attorney know if your contact information or any information included on your immigration forms and applications changes.  
6.  Read up on your immigration matters so you understand your attorney’s direction and know what questions to ask. 
7. Jot down your questions and concerns, so when you discuss the matter with the attorney you will get all of your questions answered. 

Get Good Immigration Legal Advice

If you (or a loved one) are looking for a qualified immigration attorney, you are welcome to contact our office and schedule an in person meeting, or if you live outside the Cincinnati area a telephone meeting.

Immigration is a very specialized area of law; be sure your attorney focuses his or her practice on immigration and helping people like you.  We focus our practice on immigration law and helping people visit, live in, go to school, and work in the United States.  We especially love bringing families together and helping foreign nationals start a new life, even become U.S. citizens.  You can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com.  Your next step is to contact us. 

On Friday, April 27, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security announced that fewer illegal immigrants stopped for traffic violations will be deported.  Why?  Because holding illegal immigrants stopped for minor traffic violations is not an efficient use of state and local community funds and undermines trust relationships between local police officers and the community. 

Minor Traffic Violations Raise Red Flag

It’s never been the case that an individual would actually be deported for minor traffic violations, but in the past, such arrests have raised a red flag and brought illegal immigrants to the attention of federal authorities who would then start the deportation process. 

Goal, Deport Foreigners Convicted of Serious Crimes and Repeat Immigration Law Violators

When time, energy, and funds are used to deport foreigners arrested for minor traffic violations, there are less of the same to deport those convicted of serious crimes. 

The Department of Homeland Security says that those convicted of serious crimes threaten public safety; therefor, the focus must be on deporting these criminals as well as repeat immigration law violators. 

Note:  Drunk driving is considered to be a serious crime and not a minor traffic violation. 

What this Change in Policy Means

The New York Times explains, now, “[u]nder the refinement, when illegal immigrants are arrested solely for traffic offenses and do not have a prior criminal record, federal agents will only consider placing a hold — known as a detainer — after they are convicted.”  In most cases, those arrested of minor traffic violations are released before they are convicted. 

Under the new Department of Homeland Security policy, there will be no more deportations prompted by driving without a license, running a red light or stop sign, speeding, or burned-out tail lights.

Get Legal Help Immediately; Consult with a Qualified Immigration Attorney

If you have been arrested for a serious crime or immigration violation or are threatened with deportation, get legal help immediately.  Though minor traffic violations may not stir an investigation, more serious crimes or immigration violations will.  Always consult with a qualified immigration attorney. 

Even if you have consulted with a criminal defense attorney, if your immigration status is in question, you need a qualified immigration attorney as well.  You can reach our immigration law offices at (513) 793-6555, or by email thomasjr@geygan.com. Our office is located in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati.  Your next step is to contact us now.

In the case at issue, the Skirball Cultural Center filed a P-3 nonimmigrant petition on behalf of a musical group from Argentina that was denied a performing artists’ visa for failing to establish that the group’s performance was “culturally unique” as required for this visa classification. Due to the unusually complex and novel issue and the likelihood that the same issue could arise in future decisions, the decision was recommended for review.

USCIS’s AAO approved the petition after its review of the entire record, which included expert written testimony and corroborating evidence on behalf of the musical group. The regulatory definition of “culturally unique” requires USCIS to make a case-by-case factual determination. The decision clarifies that a “culturally unique” style of art or entertainment is not limited to traditional art forms, but may include artistic expression that is deemed to be a hybrid or fusion of more than one culture or region.

Precedent decisions support USCIS’s commitment to consistency in the administration of immigration benefits. This is the third precedent decision issued since late 2010. Selected and designated as precedent by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the Attorney General’s concurrence, precedent decisions are administrative decisions that are legally binding on DHS components responsible for enforcing immigration laws in all proceedings involving the same issue.