Cities
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a city in California. Immigration eligibility is governed by federal law; a city address does not by itself establish eligibility or determine which office or court handles a case.
Read entryAce Immigration · Reference library
Immigration Wiki
What the law says, what a court decided, and what changed. Statutes, agencies and events—with primary sources and practical context.
1579 entries · page 1 / 33
Cities
Miami
Miami is a city in Florida. Immigration eligibility is governed by federal law; a city address does not by itself establish eligibility or determine which office or court handles a case.
Read entryStates
California
California is a U.S. state. Federal immigration law applies in the state; state residence is not a separate immigration status.
Read entryStates
Florida
Florida is a U.S. state. Federal immigration law applies in the state; state residence is not a separate immigration status.
Read entryAttorney
Anna Tsibel
Anna Tsibel is the immigration attorney identified on Ace Immigration’s About page. The firm describes her as Russian-speaking and California-licensed, with an immigration practice focused on asylum and removal defense.
Read entryStatutes
INA §208 — Asylum
INA §208 / 8 U.S.C. §1158INA § 208, 8 U.S.C. § 1158, is the asylum statute. You must generally file within one year of your last arrival, prove persecution or a well-founded fear tied to a protected ground, and avoid statutory bars. Asylum is discretionary. In immigration court, the fee is $100, plus $105 a year while the case stays pending, as of October 2026.
Read entryStatutes
INA §245 — Adjustment of status
INA §245 / 8 U.S.C. §1255INA § 245 (8 U.S.C. § 1255) lets some people become permanent residents without leaving the United States. You generally need a lawful inspected entry or parole, a visa available when you file, and admissibility. Approval is discretionary, and since May 2026 USCIS has stressed that discretion, so eligibility alone may not be enough.
Read entryStatutes
INA §216 — Conditional residence
INA §216 / 8 U.S.C. §1186aINA § 216 (8 U.S.C. § 1186a) makes a marriage-based green card conditional if the marriage was under 2 years old when you became a resident. You must file Form I-751 in the 90 days before your 2-year card expires, jointly or with a waiver. Missing the deadline ends your status and can start removal proceedings.
Read entryStatutes
INA §212(a)(9)(B) — Unlawful presence
INA §212(a)(9)(B) / 8 U.S.C. §1182INA § 212(a)(9)(B) bars return for 3 years after more than 180 days of unlawful presence, and for 10 years after 1 year or more. The bar starts when you leave. Since August 13, 2026, travel on advance parole counts as leaving. Do not depart until you have counted your days and checked any waiver.
Read entryAgencies
USCIS
USCIS is the DHS agency that decides immigration benefit requests such as family petitions, green cards, work permits, affirmative asylum and naturalization. It is not a court. Check the form page for the current edition and fee, answer every notice by its stated date, report a move within 10 days, and remember that a denial can lead to a Notice to Appear.
Read entryAgencies
EOIR — Immigration courts
EOIR is the Department of Justice office that runs the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals. It is separate from USCIS, ICE and CBP. If you have a Notice to Appear, your case details come from EOIR: check them on its case website or at 1-800-898-7180, file with the court, and report a move on Form EOIR-33 within five days.
Read entryForms
Form I-589 — Asylum application
Form I-589 is one application for asylum, withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protection. If your case is in immigration court, it is filed with that court, not USCIS, after you pay EOIR's $100 fee online. It must be complete and in English, and the asylum deadline is generally one year from your last arrival. Figures are as of October 30, 2026.
Read entryForms
Form I-485 — Adjustment of status
Form I-485 is the application for a green card from inside the United States. You generally need a lawful entry, an immediately available visa, no bar to adjustment and no inadmissibility ground left unwaived. As of October 31, 2026, USCIS accepts only the 09/18/26 edition and charges $1,440 on paper or $1,390 online for most adults. Approval is discretionary, so review risks before you file.
Read entryForms
Form I-751 — Removal of conditions
Form I-751 turns a 2-year marriage-based green card into a permanent one. Married couples file together during the 90 days before the card expires. If the marriage ended or there was abuse, you can ask to file alone. Missing the window ends your status automatically, so check the date on your card today.
Read entryDecisions
Matter of M-A-M-
25 I&N Dec. 474 (BIA 2011)Matter of M-A-M- says everyone in immigration court is presumed competent. If there are signs a person cannot understand the case, work with a lawyer or take part in it, the judge must look further, decide and explain why. If competency is lacking, the judge sets safeguards. A diagnosis alone does not prove incompetency. If no safeguards can make the hearing fair, removal proceedings must be terminated.
Read entryDecisions
Matter of Chawathe
25 I&N Dec. 369 (AAO 2010)Matter of Chawathe says that in most USCIS cases you must show your claim is probably true, meaning more likely than not. You do not have to remove all doubt. Quality of evidence counts more than quantity, and the burden stays on you. If an officer has a real doubt, USCIS may ask for more or deny. Some cases use a higher standard.
Read entryDecisions
Matter of A-B- (2021) — Historical, overruled
28 I&N Dec. 307 (A.G. 2021)This 2021 Attorney General decision is no longer good law. On June 16, 2021 it wiped out two stricter rulings on asylum claims based on private violence. On September 2, 2025, Matter of S-S-F-M- overruled it and restored those rulings for all pending and future cases. Do not cite it as current authority or trust a guide that does.
Read entryEvents
USCIS fee final rule — 2024
The USCIS fee final rule was announced January 30, 2024, published January 31, and took effect April 1, 2024. This is a historical rule entry, not a quotation of today’s filing fees.
Read entryEvents
Form I-485 edition transition — February 2025
USCIS announced on December 10, 2024 that it would accept only the 10/24/24 edition of Form I-485 starting February 10, 2025. This historical transition does not establish the edition accepted today.
Read entryDecisions
Matter of Delcarmen-Lara
29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026)Since August 13, 2026, leaving the United States on advance parole counts as a departure for the unlawful-presence bars. Matter of Delcarmen-Lara overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly. If you have more than 180 days of unlawful presence, a trip can now trigger a 3- or 10-year bar. Trips before that date were not decided here. Get advice before you travel.
Read entryDecisions
Matter of S-S-F-M-
29 I&N Dec. 207 (A.G. 2025)Matter of S-S-F-M- is the Attorney General's September 2, 2025 decision making asylum harder for people fleeing private violence, including domestic violence. It overruled the 2021 A-B- decision and Matter of A-R-C-G-, and told judges to follow the stricter A-B- rulings in all pending and future cases. It does not end every such claim, but it raises what you must prove.
Read entryEvents
Charlotte asylum office opens — October 2026
USCIS announced the Charlotte asylum office on October 9, 2026. Beginning October 13, applicants in North Carolina and South Carolina fell within the new office’s jurisdiction and could be scheduled there for interviews.
Read entryForms
Form I-130
Form I-130 is the petition a U.S. citizen or green card holder files to prove a family relationship. It does not itself give status, work permission or protection from removal. As of October 31, 2026, the fee is $675 on paper or $625 online, the 04/01/24 edition is current, and spouse cases also need Form I-130A.
Read entryForms
Form I-130A
Form I-130A is a supplement to a spouse's Form I-130. It records the immigrating spouse's five-year address and employment history, parents and last residence abroad. It has no separate line on USCIS's fee schedule. A spouse in the United States must sign it; a spouse overseas completes it but need not sign.
Read entryForms
Form I-129F
Form I-129F is the petition a U.S. citizen files so a fiance or fiancee abroad can seek a K-1 visa. You must have met in person within the 2 years before filing, and you must marry within 90 days after arrival. The fee is $675. Approval is not a visa, and it does not assure entry.
Read entryForms
Form I-360
Form I-360 is one petition for several unrelated groups: abused family members under VAWA, widows and widowers of citizens, Special Immigrant Juveniles and others. The rules, fee and deadline depend on your category. Widow(er)s have 2 years from the death, and a juvenile must file before turning 21. An approval is a classification, not a green card.
Read entryForms
Form I-601
Form I-601 asks USCIS to forgive a ground of inadmissibility, such as fraud, certain crimes or past unlawful presence, so you can get a green card or immigrant visa. Most routes require extreme hardship to a specific citizen or green card relative. The fee is $1,050, and some applicants pay $0. Identify your exact ground before you file.
Read entryForms
Form I-601A
Form I-601A lets a person in the United States ask USCIS to forgive the 3-year or 10-year unlawful presence bar before leaving for an immigrant visa interview. You need a pending State Department case and extreme hardship to a citizen or green card spouse or parent. The fee is $795. Do not leave the country until you have reviewed every other ground.
Read entryForms
Form I-131
Form I-131 is one application for several documents, including advance parole, reentry permits and refugee travel documents. Pick the right one first, because they do different things. As of October 31, 2026, most advance parole requests cost $630 on paper or $580 online. Since August 13, 2026, leaving on advance parole can trigger unlawful-presence bars.
Read entryForms
Form I-765
Form I-765 asks USCIS for a work permit (EAD). Your category, written in Question 27, decides eligibility, timing and cost. As of October 31, 2026, the general fee is $520 on paper or $470 online, with separate added fees for asylum applicants and parolees. Renewals filed since October 30, 2025 generally get no automatic extension.
Read entryForms
Form I-864
Form I-864 is a sponsor's enforceable promise to keep an immigrant at 125% of the poverty line, and most family cases need it. USCIS charges no fee. For a two-person household in the 48 states, the 2026 minimum income is $27,050. Divorce does not end the duty. Sponsors should read the risks before signing.
Read entryForms
Form I-693
Form I-693 is the immigration medical report completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. Most Form I-485 applicants must file it with the application, or USCIS may reject the package. USCIS charges $0, and the doctor bills separately. Paper filers submit it in the surgeon's sealed envelope, and it generally remains usable only for that application.
Read entryForms
Form N-400
Form N-400 is the application to become a U.S. citizen. Most green card holders can apply after 5 years, or 3 years if married to and living with a citizen. The fee is $760 on paper or $710 online, with a reduced $380 fee and waivers for some. Filing can expose old problems, so review your history first.
Read entryForms
Form N-600
Form N-600 asks USCIS for a Certificate of Citizenship, which proves you are already a citizen through a parent. It does not make you one. The fee is $1,385 on paper or $1,335 online, and you may not need it, since a U.S. passport also proves citizenship. Check the law for your birth date first.
Read entryForms
Form I-90
Form I-90 replaces or renews a green card that is expiring within 6 months, expired, lost, stolen, damaged or wrong. The fee is $465 on paper or $415 online. An expired card does not by itself end your status. Conditional residents with an expiring card use Form I-751 instead.
Read entryForms
Form I-94
Form I-94 is the arrival and departure record CBP creates when you enter the United States. Its Admit Until Date, not the visa's expiration, usually tells you how long you may stay. Look up your record online after every entry, check every field, and correct any error before the date passes.
Read entryForms
Form I-862 — Notice to Appear
Form I-862, the Notice to Appear, is the document DHS uses to start removal proceedings. It lists facts about you, the charges and sometimes your first hearing date. It is not a removal order, but it starts deadlines. Check every line, confirm whether it has been filed in court, and give the court a correct address within 5 days.
Read entryForms
Form EOIR-26
Form EOIR-26 is the Notice of Appeal from an immigration judge's decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. As of October 30, 2026, the Board must receive it within 30 calendar days, with the $1,060 fee or a fee waiver request, and it must state specific reasons. Mailing it on time is not enough, and a timely appeal generally stops removal while it is pending.
Read entryStatutes
INA §101 — Admission and definitions
INA §101; 8 U.S.C. §1101INA § 101(a)(13) (8 U.S.C. § 1101) defines admission as a lawful entry after inspection and authorization by an immigration officer. Parole is not admission, and neither is a visa alone. This definition can decide whether you can get a green card inside the country and which detention rules apply to you.
Read entryStatutes
INA §201 — Immediate relatives and worldwide levels
INA §201; 8 U.S.C. §1151INA § 201 (8 U.S.C. § 1151) puts immediate relatives of U.S. citizens outside the yearly visa limits: spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens aged 21 or older. They do not wait in the preference line, but they still need an approved petition, admissibility and a lawful way to complete the case.
Read entryStatutes
INA §203 — Immigrant preference allocation
INA §203; 8 U.S.C. §1153INA § 203 (8 U.S.C. § 1153) divides limited immigrant visas into family, employment and diversity categories. An approved petition only gets you a place in line. Your priority date must become current in the Visa Bulletin before you can file for or receive a green card, and life changes can move you to another category.
Read entryStatutes
INA §204 — Immigrant petition procedure
INA §204; 8 U.S.C. §1154INA § 204 (8 U.S.C. § 1154) is the petition law. It says who may file to classify a relative, worker or VAWA survivor, and when USCIS must refuse. Approval confirms a category only. It gives no status and does not stop removal, so the green card application is a separate step.
Read entryStatutes
INA §204(c) — Marriage-fraud petition bar
INA §204(c); 8 U.S.C. §1154INA § 204(c) (8 U.S.C. § 1154(c)) stops USCIS from approving any later petition for a person found to have entered, attempted or conspired to enter a marriage to evade immigration law. No conviction is needed, and a real later marriage does not cure it. A divorce or short marriage alone does not prove fraud. Respond to any notice immediately.
Read entryStatutes
INA §209 — Refugee and asylee adjustment
INA §209; 8 U.S.C. §1159INA § 209 (8 U.S.C. § 1159) is the green card route for refugees and people granted asylum after 1 year in the United States. Refugees must apply and pay no Form I-485 fee. Asylees may apply and pay the normal fee. Refugees should still file promptly: the duty to apply remains, even though a court has stopped enforcement of a 2026 memo on detaining unadjusted refugees while the case continues.
Read entryStatutes
INA §212(a)(6)(C) — Fraud and misrepresentation
INA §212(a)(6)(C); 8 U.S.C. §1182INA § 212(a)(6)(C) makes you permanently inadmissible for obtaining, or trying to obtain, an immigration benefit by fraud or a willful, material misrepresentation. A separate clause covers false claims to U.S. citizenship. A hardship waiver may be available for the first, but generally not for the second. For misrepresentation, an honest mistake is not willful; the citizenship ground generally has no such defense.
Read entryStatutes
INA §237 — Deportability grounds
INA §237; 8 U.S.C. §1227INA § 237, 8 U.S.C. § 1227, lists the reasons a person who was lawfully admitted, including a green card holder, can be deported: overstays and status violations, crimes, fraud and more. DHS must prove the charge by clear and convincing evidence. A charge is not a final finding, and several defenses and forms of relief exist.
Read entryStatutes
INA §240 — Removal proceedings
INA §240; 8 U.S.C. §1229aINA § 240, codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1229a, is the law that governs removal proceedings before an immigration judge. It sets your rights at the hearing, who must prove what, what happens if you miss court, and the limits on motions afterward. Unless the Act says otherwise, it is the exclusive procedure for deciding removal, though faster procedures exist for some people.
Read entryStatutes
INA §240A — Cancellation of removal
INA §240A; 8 U.S.C. §1229bINA § 240A, 8 U.S.C. § 1229b, lets an immigration judge cancel removal and grant a green card. Permanent residents need 5 years of residence status, 7 years of continuous residence and no aggravated felony. Others need 10 years here, good moral character and exceptional hardship to a citizen or resident relative. Fees are $730 and $1,690 as of October 2026.
Read entrySources and limits
Entries are based on the primary sources listed on each page. An event date is not a last-review date. Historical events and decisions do not establish that a policy still applies today. Russian text is an informational translation; use the original English authority for legal work. No private client cases are published here.
Frequently asked questions
Is this reference library an official source of law?
No. Ace Immigration is a private law firm. Statutes, applicable regulations and governing decisions are primary authorities; these explanations help locate them but do not replace them.
Does a publication date certify attorney review or current law?
No. A publication date records publication, while an event date records a historical milestone. Check subsequent developments. Russian text is an informational translation, not an official legal version.