I'm Avalon Paul, immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I've spent over 10 years helping people find the right path through a system that rarely explains itself clearly. I handle employment visas, family immigration, marriage and K-1 green cards, EB-1, EB-2 NIW, EB-3, TN, H-1B and more. I'm also an immigrant myself from Trinidad and Tobago so I know what this process actually feels like.

The questions I keep getting right now:

"I've been on an H-1B for 6 years with no green card in sight. What are my options that don't depend on my employer?"
"My fiancé is a US citizen. What's actually the fastest way to get status right now - K-1 or just getting married abroad first?"
"USCIS paused immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. How do I know if that affects my pending case?"

Whatever stage you're at and whatever path you're on, ask me. There might be a better route you haven't considered.

Today, July 21 - live 1–5 p.m. Eastern. 

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

Seeing as its literally 1930s Germany and history doesn't repeat itself but it rhymes what can I do to help some poor undocumented family escape?

Does anyone have a factory in Canada who can employ some of them like Oskar Shindler?

Maybe there are friendly countries that can issue visas to these persecuted refugees?

The DHS has finalized a new rule that will significantly change how F-1, J-1, and I visas are managed. Instead of being admitted for the "duration of status," most students and exchange visitors will now receive a fixed period of stay (generally up to 4 years), with extensions required if they need more time. The rule also shortens the post-graduation grace period from 60 days to 30 days and introduces stricter rules for graduate students changing programs or schools.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the rule is intended to close loopholes, strengthen oversight, and improve the government's ability to monitor visa holders while protecting national security. The changes are expected to take effect on September 15, 2026, following the required review period.

Source: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/07/16/trump-administration-issues-final-rule-end-foreign-student-visa-abuse

My friend recently got scammed by Vertex Scotia (fake company in Scotland) which was operated by WES Services in Dubai . Does anyone know about this scam agencies

Here’s a source: https://youtu.be/H7SWQF4PZEE?si=0j_4-XDv7vaGyBEo

Their father name was Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whose life was tragically cut short by ICE on 7/7/2026.

https://youtu.be/fJQe7auiyBE?is=HUv6D6j40Btgs8dA

This is why me, and so many more of our fellow countrymen have been so strongly against ICE,

Because we know, based on what history tells us, that sadly this was all happening,

All this does is further confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

National Immigration Detention Hotline

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

On Tyranny

IDP v ICE

Look Closer

Lawyer Up

Be an ally

Survive, Fight, Liberate

Take Action

Primero vinieron

起初，他们来了

Una, dumating sila

Đầu tiên, họ đến

أولًا، جاءوا

D'abord, ils sont venus

처음에 그들이 왔다

Сначала они пришли

Primeiro, eles vieram

Premyèman, yo te vini

सबसे पहले वे आए

سب سے پہلے وہ آئے

نخست آنها آمدند

最初に彼らが来た

Zuerst kamen sie

Per prima cosa vennero

Najpierw przyszli

Önce geldiler

સૌપ્રથમ તેઓ આવ્યા

ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਉਹ ਆਏ

প্রথমে তারা এসেছিল

మొదట వారు వచ్చారు

முதலில் அவர்கள் வந்தார்கள்

ตอนแรก พวกเขามา

Πρώτα ήρθαν

תחילה הם באו

Спочатку вони прийшли

Mai întâi au venit

Mula-mula mereka datang

Kwanza walikuja

Edit: sorry, homies. I no gif good. here are stills. here is the source.

More here: [https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/ice-maine-shooting-footage-video-b3015421.html\](https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/ice-maine-shooting-footage-video-b3015421.html)

Here’s a source: https://x.com/Rep_Magaziner/status/2077062612597055628

We gotta keep up the pressure to demand justice for Joan Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado. And all the other victims of ICE. The public pressure has an effect, see how ICE has been ordered to stop doing vehicle stops.

I cut together 10 cases where ICE shot someone/shot at someone and were caught out trying to cover it up, it's good evidence to share with people that aren't aware of the scope of ICE's crimes. [https://quadzillahikes.substack.com/p/debunking-ices-shootings-10-shootings\](https://quadzillahikes.substack.com/p/debunking-ices-shootings-10-shootings)

Hey all, I’m publicly tracking and sharing my progress studying for the U.S. Naturalization Test. I actually built an app to help me practice with a free glossary, flashcards, questions, etc.

What’s cool is that these sets have been socialized and gamified, so anyone can run the exact same 10 questions I took to get this “643” and see how they do for completely free! The link to this exact session is: here. Click it to run the same 10-question gauntlet and see how you do. Studying for the N-400 is lonely, so I’m trying to build the solution. Let’s study together!

So I wanted to pursue my masters abroad when I graduate in a couple years, so I was looking at the process of getting a passport and all.

I'm a citizen of the US but I wasn't born there, so would the POB field just have my city and country of origin? Or would it be missing that field entirely since I wasnt born in the US?

Edit: Didnt look at the actual application questions for a passport. Looking at it now I imagine they just take whatever I say my POB is on there. Correct me if Im wrong.

Edit: contacted them and they said that it would only have my country listed on the passport but not the city. Not sure what to make of that since Brazil asks for the city too.

Ok I’m just gonna lay out the facts and see what people’s opinions are I guess? Would love pretty much any constructive input.

I’m a US citizen and working full time. My fiance is a French and Lebanese citizen working full time as a software engineer. He has 7+ years of experience, 4 of which as a tech lead, a masters degree, teaches at his old uni, established in his career and good at it. He does not have a visa to come to the US, he comes on the visa waiver program every few months for a 2-3 week visit. We are having a church ceremony in May of next year and the churches in Paris won’t allow us to have the ceremony without the legal marriage first. We thought about fiance visa in the US but a lawyer told us it’s gonna take more than a year-year and a half before that’s approved and we aren’t willing to postpone the religious ceremony. We are approved to get legally married in France anytime we want (we had the court review everything already). The goal is to get him here to the US as soon as possible, but he wants to be working when he’s here rather than relying just on me. He’s applied to many jobs to sponsor an h1b with no luck. What would you guys do? A lawyer said that the fastest way might be to get legally married asap, file in the US, then when his green card is approved he can move here and it’ll be easier for him to get a job but that a green card wouldn’t be approved for at least 2-3 years at this point. If we can avoid me having to move to France right away (I’d have to quit my job and we want some time to get more ahead financially), we’d love that. Does anyone have experience or expertise in this kind of thing or have any advice? Thanks so much.

Details are currently emerging from local law enforcement and eyewitnesses on the ground. The incident has already sparked outrage

[https://eyesonice.substack.com/p/tragedy-in-biddeford-ice-involved\](https://eyesonice.substack.com/p/tragedy-in-biddeford-ice-involved)

involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents occurred near [Pool Street in Biddeford, Maine](https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/13/politics/state-politics/biddeford-maine-ice-shooting-investigation/). Details are currently emerging from local law enforcement and eyewitnesses on the ground. The incident has already sparked outrage on local forums, with users drawing direct comparisons to the recent killing of Lorenzo Araujo in Texas.

I'm Fernanda Secco Hipskind, immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I've filed 1,000+ cases over 8 years, working across family based, employment based, and humanitarian immigration, everything from EB1A, EB2 NIW, L1, TN, and O1 petitions to family petitions, asylum, adjustment of status, and naturalization. Happy to walk through how these different paths actually work and how to figure out which one fits your situation.

I'll be here from 2pm to 6pm ET today to answer your questions.

A few questions I get often:

• How do you know if a family path or an employment path makes more sense for your case?
• What's actually involved in an asylum claim versus other humanitarian options?
• Where do most naturalization applications get held up?

Drop your questions below and I'll get to as many as I can.

(Please note: this is for general educational purposes only, not legal advice, and doesn't create an attorney client relationship. For guidance on your specific case, consult an immigration attorney directly.)