Recent changes to employment authorization eligibility for asylum seekers By Ann Fischer In September, the federal government amended its regulations relating to employment authorization based upon pending asylum applications. The effect of the decision removes regulations put in place during the Trump administration and restores prior procedures and eligibility requirements.  According to the U.S. Citizenship

By Ann M. Fischer  On Feb. 24, Russia invaded Ukraine and, subsequently, on March 3 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. A country may be designated for TPS when conditions in the country fall into one or more of the three statutory

By Ann M. Fischer It is more important than ever to have powers of attorney (POA) in place for your finances and for your health care. There are many cases where people find themselves suffering financial consequences because they did not prepare a POA before an event occurred that rendered them incapable of handling their

By Ann M. Fischer Immigration has been a hot political issue in recent years, especially for the Dreamers, or those who came into the United States as underage children of immigrants and who continued to live and work here, all while remaining as citizens of another country. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), was

By Ann Fischer Families with loved ones or companies seeking workers from overseas now could have new opportunities to enter the United States. On Jan. 20, a new Presidential Executive Order was entered by the Biden Administration that revokes Executive Orders and Proclamations from the previous administration and allows the entry of more foreign nationals

How Do I Modify My Child Support? By Ann Fisher Child support is established by the courts in order to provide financial support to the custody parent with the cost of raising the child(ren). Often times the financial situations and parenting time changes as the children grow up; however, the support order does not automatically

Couples who are planning to divorce, as well as those who are currently in divorce proceedings, should be aware of a change in the Illinois Spousal Maintenance Law, section 504 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA). Specifically, the change in law affects the formula used by the court to calculate spousal maintenance as well as the tax consequences of paying maintenance and receiving maintenance.

How to Calculate Estate Taxes Upon Death in Illinois By Ann Fischer Few of us like to think about death let alone paying taxes upon death. However, understanding how your passing will affect your loved ones can help you anticipate the effect of the federal estate tax and plan accordingly. The Illinois estate tax is

The New NTA (Notice to Appear) And What it Means   By Ann Fischer Certain non-immigrant aliens seeking to adjust their status may be in jeopardy of receiving an NTA (Notice to Appear- form I-862), which signals the beginning of removal proceedings from the U.S. and requires them to appear in Immigration Court. Recently, the

Should You Include Digital Assets in Estate Planning? By Ann Fischer More and more people are beginning to include their digital assets in their estate planning. After all, your emails, downloaded music, Facebook and other social media accounts have value for you and your loved ones. It makes sense to incorporate them into your estate

Is it Time to Reapply for DACA? By Ann Fischer With continuing efforts to clarify the status of DACA, decisions from two combined court cases heard in late April determined that the government failed to adequately explain their reason for the 2017 memo which rescinded DACA. The cases, NAACP v. Trump and the Trustees of

An Update on DACA: Renewals and Reviews By Ann Fischer While there are still questions in the air, the latest update on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) includes pending reviews in court and new opportunities for immigrants who are previous recipients of the legislation benefits. To the dismay and trepidation of Dreamers everywhere, on

WHEN PARTNERS SEPARATE: HOW TO KEEP THE BUSINESS IN THE DIVORCE by: Ann Fischer When people get married, typically they do not anticipate getting divorced or wonder how they could keep the business if they ever got divorced. Accordingly, couples typically do not plan for it. When a couple dissolves their marriage, they enter a

WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF DACA?   By Ann Fischer Since February of last year, millions of immigrants have been in emotional turmoil, wondering what the future of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) will be.  Just several months earlier, they faced a bright future when President Obama had issued an executive order to create DAPA

Seven Illinois Child Care Support Changes for 2017 By Ann Fischer Families can expect several Illinois child care support changes when a new statute takes effect in July, 2017. The changes primarily having to do with the way in which child support will be calculated per family. If your child support situation is different this