Immigration
Members of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association met with Charles Oppenheim to discuss the upcoming December Visa Bulletin and, especially, the large backlogs for India. Mr. Oppenheim provided the following updated information regarding immigrant visa usage for this fiscal year (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014). Please
Immigration
The Department of State recently released its December Visa Bulletin which updated the priority date listings for immigrant visa categories and also provided some guidance as to future movement of these dates. In addition, Mr. Oppenheim, who is in charge of immigrant visa numbers and the visa bulletin for the
Immigration
Now that the government shutdown has happened I would like to update everyone as to what is happening with US agencies that deal with immigration: 1. USCIS - they are up and running as normal EXCEPT for the e-verify system. E-Verify is NOT working, and USCIS has already issued a
Immigration
With the current economic talks stalledand a potential shutdow n as early as next week many people want to know what does this mean for immigration services? For those dealing with USCIS in the US, the answer is easy, nothing. USCIS is funded through user fees (i.e. the fees
Immigration
This topic has come up with several of our clients recently, those wanting to hire people not in the US, thosecurrently in the US who needed to leave because of a lost job or because they wanted to take ashort-term job opportunity, and those who were in their own country
Immigration
We are asked quite frequently by individuals, and especially companies, whether the documents and statements they are giving to USCIS in support of visa applications are "confidential" or can anyone request and receive a copy of such papers. The answer is complex, and involves the interplay of two
Uncategorized
I reported the other day of the implementation by USCIS of their new identification system for those coming to the local offices for interviews or to receive evidence of their status. Well, reports are in and, as I had stated, people are experiencing long delays at many USICS local offices.
Uncategorized
Today USCIS is implementing its new customer verification program at all local offices. Customers will now submit biometric data, specifically fingerprints and photographs, when appearing at USCIS offices for interviews or to receive evidence of an immigration benefit. In this way, USCIS is looking to combat fraud and improve its
Uncategorized
Many times an attorney may talk about "period of authorized stay" or "unlawful presence" or even "lawful status". It is important to understand what all these terms mean and refer as the subtle differences between them can make a very big difference on whether
Uncategorized
There is a new telephone scam whereby someone claiming to be a USCIS officer is calling people and getting personal information and credit card/bank account information. Apparently, they are using a technique so that the called ID shown is USCIS. Be warned, according to UCSIS if a real USCIS
Immigration
E-Verify is the system touted by USCIS to help stop people working who are not in the US in a legal status. It requires employers to check social security numbers, names, etc. against the social security and USCIS database. If the databases do not recognize someone, they will send out
Immigration
The Department of State has released the latest visa bulletin for August 2013. In that bulletin there have been several significant movements. First, in terms of family based applications, the F2A category - spouses and children of permanent residents, has come current. Second, the EB-2 for India has moved forward