CRS Report On Visa Waiver Program
Please check attachment to read CRS report on Visa Waiver Program.
Please check attachment to read CRS report on Visa Waiver Program.
Moderator: Edna Ruano, Chief, Office of Communications
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
March 15, 2012
11 A.M. EDT
Coordinator: Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. During the question and answer session, if you’d like to ask a question please press star 1 on your touchtone phone.
Today’s call is being recorded. If you have any objections you may disconnect at this time.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the availability of a competitive grant opportunity designed to promote immigrant civic integration and prepare permanent residents for citizenship. This year’s program will offer approximately $5 million in funding for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country.
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has established a process by which members of the public may subscribe to receive e-mail alerts whenever the Department posts an announcement updating some aspect of the OFLC website, e.g., program updates, outreach announcements, new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), disclosure data, etc.
Please check the attachment to read the instructions on how to subscribe to OFLC e-mail alerts.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it extended an accommodation for H-2A workers in the sheepherding industry to transition to the three-year limitation of stay requirements. USCIS will require H-2A sheepherders who have reached their maximum three-year period of stay to depart the United States by Aug. 16, 2012, and remain outside the country for at least three months before petitioning for H-2A classification again.
I work for company A for the last 7 years. I have been a manager with the same company for 5+ years. I am now in US for past 1 year on L-1 A Blanket visa. My current employer is not agreeing to file my GC. Some one told me that the scenario listed below is possible.
Scenario: Identify a new employer who is ready to sponsor my GC. Since GC is about future permanent employment, that employer can directly file my EB1. I can join the new employer once my EAD comes through. Is this possible?
Not entirely true. The GC IS for a future job. An employer CAN, based upon a good faith intention to hire you in the future, file a GC for you even while you are not working for them. But, an EB1 for an international manager/executive can only be filed by a company related to the company you worked for when you were outside USA.
We would like to thank Mr. Khanna and his team for excellent services. I am working with him on family related visa process and he provided excellent services. Looking forward to work with him and his team.
My personal experience: Mr. Rajiv is a very honest lawyer. He would never accept your case unless he was convinced he could help. he would never use your desperate hopes to take your money. Full respect to you Mr. Rajiv, you are a great symbol for what we need these days.
USCIS statistics on TRIG cases are current as of February 29, 2012.
Please check the attachment to view statistics.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced that she will be designating Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months.
Next week, USCIS will post a Federal Register notice designating Syria for TPS and providing additional guidance on:
Processing time encompasses the period starting the date U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received the application and ending the date USCIS notified the applicant of the decision. For applications filed overseas with the Department of State where USCIS does not have a presence, reported processing time does not include time taken to transfer the application from the Department of State to USCIS.
The attachment below shows overseas completion data for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, for February 2012
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 cap on Monday April 2, 2012. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. USCIS will not rely upon the date that the petition is postmarked.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Register inviting public comment on a revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers must complete Form I-9 for all newly-hired employees to verify their identity and authorization to work in the United States. The public is invited to comment on the revisions until May 29, 2012.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent this bulletin at 03/27/2012 06:07 PM EDT
Dear Stakeholder,
The Department has posted new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 Programs.
To view FAQ please check the attachment.
The Chicago National Processing Center has announced that it will be expanding its E-Mail Notification Program to all H-2A stakeholders who elect to participate in the program. In addition, all H-2A employers who elect to participate in the program will no longer receive hard copy notifications of the following actions: Notice of Deficiency, Notice of Acceptance, Denials, Withdrawals, Extensions, and Redeterminations.
NOTE: Certifications and partial certifications will continue to be issued to H-2A stakeholders via electronic transmission and by hard copy.
I recently started my GC application with Mr. Khanna and his team. What I found most remarkable was the timely responsiveness and expertise of Mr. Khanna and his team. They were quickly able to address our issues and provide valuable insights based on their vast experience in the immigration area. Thanks once again for all your efforts. Truly appreciate it.
Eligible Syrian nationals in the United States may begin the application process
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 61 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18907-18914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7569]
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 61 / Thursday, March 29, 2012 / Rules
and Regulations
[[Page 18907]]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
22 CFR Parts 22 and 42
[Public Notice 7835]
RIN 1400-AD06
Effective April 13, 2012, the Department of State will adjust visa processing fees. The fees for most nonimmigrant visa applications and Border Crossing Cards will increase, while all immigrant visa processing fees will decrease.
The current prediction that the priority dates for employment based green card applications are likely to retrogress again has brought a lot of speculation and questions from our clients and our community. Let me clarify some of the questions and concerns.
Q. What happens if my priority date ('PD') retrogresses while my I-485 is still pending?
In a welcome move, US government is showing some understanding of the economic benefits of business and employment-based immigration.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas have outlined a series of policy, operational, and outreach efforts to fuel the nation's economy and stimulate investment by attracting foreign entrepreneurial talent of exceptional ability or who otherwise can create jobs, form startup companies, and invest capital in areas of high unemployment.
I am satisfied with my consultation with Mr. Khanna.