Cryptocurrency and Taxes: How does taxation work on it?
Written by Taher Kameli & Shabnam Mahammadli Cryptocurrency is a digital representation of value that can serve as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value.[1] Although often held for investment purposes, the IRS has acknowledged that cryptocurrency may also be used in a manner similar to “real” currency, namely, to […]
Biden Administration Partially Lifts Green Card Ban
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri This week, a major Trump-era immigration ban has been considerably rescinded by executive order.[1] On Wednesday 24th, 2021, the Biden administration lifted the Trump administration’s immigrant visa ban for many green card applicants.[2] The ban was originally imposed on April 2020, under an order known as Presidential Proclamation 100014[3], […]
Biden Reverts Naturalization Test to 2008 Version
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In another reversal of Trump-era immigration policy, the Biden administration struck down the revised naturalization civic test implemented on December 1, 2020, replacing it with the older 2008 version of the test that had been in force up till that time.[1] This was done as part of President Biden’s February […]
The USCIS Rescinds Stringent Professional and Educational Requirements for H-1B Petition Adjudications in Response to Ninth Circuit Challenge
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri On February 3, 2021, in what is sure to be welcome news for H-1B applicants, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services rescinded the 2017 Policy Memorandum PM–602-0142 that it previously issued under the Trump administration.[1] Under the 2017 Policy Memorandum, the USCIS discarded the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) classification […]
President Biden Reinstates Deferred Enforced Departure for Eligible Liberian Nationals in the U.S.
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri At the very beginning of his term in office, President Biden has put immigration reform at the top of his agenda, passing a series of executive orders challenging and even overturning President Trump’s immigration policies.[1] Be it rescinding the Muslim travel ban or restoring DACA, the Biden administration has made […]
Southern District Court of Texas Overrules Biden Administration’s Deportation Moratorium
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The first two weeks of the Biden presidency has seen a dramatic pause on many of the Trump administration’s most controversial immigration policies, from ending the Muslim ban to reversing the policy focusing immigration law enforcement on any undocumented person regardless of criminal status or lack thereof, to ending an […]
USCIS H-1B Lottery Process Will Remain Unchanged for the Following Year
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In what is sure to be welcome news for H-1B visa applicants, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) announced that the H-1B electronic registration and lottery process for this year would be identical to that of last year, as opposed to the Trump administration’s proposal to make […]
How Confronting The Past Can Change Our Future
Written by Taher Kameli On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the U. S. witness the change when former Vice President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. It was the culmination of a vicious presidential campaign that effectively served as a referendum on the performance of Donald Trump.[1] A campaign that […]
Evolve Federal Credit Union v. Barragan-Flores
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The practice of cross-collateralization involves using an asset as collateral for another loan in addition to an earlier loan.[1] In the event that a debtor cannot make repayments on either loan on time, lenders can force the liquidation of the asset and use the proceeds to repay the debt […]
President Biden Withdraws Trump’s H-4 EAD Proposal
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri Among the many changes to Trump’s hardline immigration policies pursued by the Biden administration during his first two weeks in office, President Biden’s latest action has been to withdraw a proposed rule of the Trump administration concerning H-4 EAD holders.[1] Under the proposed rule (which was introduced in 2019[2]), the […]