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Lasnetski Gihon Law is pleased to announce the upcoming addition of John Gihon to the firm. The newly named Law Offices of Lasnetski Gihon Law will open an office in Orlando to further serve clients in the southern Georgia, northeast Florida, and central Florida locations in all matters related to criminal, immigration and personal injury.

John is currently employed as an immigration prosecutor under the Department of Homeland Security. His duties include representing the government in deportation cases and instructing other lawyers, ICE agents, USCIS officers and other government officials on immigration law. We are excited to add his immigration experience and knowledge to our team at Lasnetski Gihon Law.

John is also a former prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville. As a criminal trial attorney, he tried many criminal cases, including homicides. His unique experience in both criminal and immigration law is a perfect fit for our firm.

The term “aggravated felony” for immigration purposes is a much misunderstood term. One of the reasons is that an “aggravated felony” need not be aggravated, nor a felony. But it is important to understand what constitutes an aggravated felony for immigration purposes, because a conviction for an aggravated felony comes with serious immigration consequences.

An “aggravated felony” is defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act, under Section 101(a)(43) and includes:

Murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor;

On March 29th, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security designated Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Syrian nationals that have been continuously residing in and physically present in the United States since March 29th, 2012 are eligible to apply for TPS.

The registration period for TPS is from March 29th, 2012 through September 25th, 2012.

This applies to Syrian nationals who are in the United States, whether you have a valid visa or have overstayed your visa.

Despite a relatively new ICE memorandum instructing authorities to prioritize their removal efforts of immigrants who are deemed to be inadmissible or removable, we are still seeing how authorities are resistant to change. ICE agents and attorneys continue to place low priority immigrants in removal proceedings. One example is that of Jennifer Lopez, a 21 year old who was brought to the United States when she was a child. She cares for her ill U.S. Citizen siblings. You can read about her here.

Here is the visa bulletin for June 2011. This bulletin is published by the Department of State and it summarizes the availability of visas as of June. The availability changes monthly and lets you know when your visa number becomes available. It also gives you an idea of the length of time you may have to wait if you have not already applied for a visa.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5452.html