Below are Fact Sheets for 4th Quarter of FY 2013 (07/01/2013-09/30/2013)
On October 17, 2013, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a change in the schedule for the release of certain reports due to the lapse in Federal appropriations resulting in the Government shutdown. Among the affected reports is the Farm Labor Survey (FLS) report upon which the Department relies in order to establish the Adverse Effect Wage Rates in the H-2A program. The new release date for the FLS report will be December 5, 2013.
In light of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (named “Yolanda” by Philippine authorities), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would like to remind Filipino nationals that they may be eligible for certain immigration relief measures if requested.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification has announced that it will stop sending Adobe PDF copies of approved Temporary Labor Certifications (TLCs) to H-2A employers and authorized representatives on Nov. 18, 2013.
WASHINGTON- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced an enhancement to the E-Verify program that will help combat identify fraud by identifying and deterring fraudulent use of Social Security numbers (SSNs) for employment eligibility verification.
I went there at 7, just in case 1 hour earlier. Office opens officially at 7:30, but security let me in. The office is on 4th floor, but they let me in because we had 4 month old baby. So durin security check you are checked like in airport, I took off shoes and family members too.
We went and there is reception and I checked in my additional evidence.
This policy memorandum (PM) provides guidance on the adjudication of Form I-485, Application to Register or Adjust Status, filed by immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who were last admitted under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This PM updates the Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) by adding a new section (j) to Chapter 10.3 and 23.5 (AFM Update AD11-30).
For more details on the memorandum please click the attachment
E-Verify added an enhancement that will help identify and deter fraudulent use of Social Security numbers (SSNs) for employment eligibility verification. E-Verify is now able to detect patterns that indicate an SSN may have been used fraudulently. The enhancement strengthens the integrity of the E-Verify program by implementing standards that have proven effective in protecting individual identities.
Our office was retained to file a B-1/B-2 extension on behalf of a 34-year old male who was diagnosed with autism and requires ongoing supervision and monitoring. He is dependent on his mother, a permanent resident of the US, who is his legal guardian and only source of care. His father is a resident of Botswana. Botswana regulations do not make provisions for a child above the age of 21 to reside in the country as a dependent. Even in the US, regulations do not consider children over the age of 21 to be dependents of their parents.
The main applicant and his wife filed their I-485 petitions together. At the time of filing, the wife was pregnant.
This policy memorandum (PM) amends Chapter 21.1 of the Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) to ensure consistent adjudication of parole requests made on behalf of aliens who are present without admission or parole and who are spouses, children and parents of those serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve or who previously served in the U.S. Armed Forces or Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.
For more details on this memo please click the attachment
What is Administrative Processing?
Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant's interview by a Consular Officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply.
I have worked with Mr. Khanna and his staff on H-1B and green card applications for a few of my employees over the last 4 years. Never having done this before previously and with very limited knowledge of the immigration arena, I have found all of the staff members to be extremely helpful! There is never a time where I can't ask questions or seek guidance. Communication is very important and they never dissapear on me. Rather than it feeling like a client-lawyer relationship, I feel like it is more of a partnership. They are here to make the process smooth and as painless as possible. I would recommend their services to anyone who is in need, whether it be an individual or an employer.
On October 23, 2013, the USCIS Service Center Operations Directorate hosted an engagement with AILA representatives. USCIS addressed questions related to DOMA, provisional waivers and TPS grantee applications among several other topics.
The attached information provides a review of the questions solicited by AILA and the responses provided by USCIS.
What is consular processing?
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) offers an individual two primary paths to permanent resident status (a green card). An individual who is the beneficiary of an approved immigrant petition and has an immigrant visa number immediately available may apply at a U.S. Department of State consulate abroad for an immigrant visa in order to come to the United States and be admitted as a permanent resident.
This policy memorandum (PM) provides guidance for properly assigning priority dates in those instances where a petitioner requests that the priority date from a separate, previously filed petition, be applied to a later filed family-based second-preference “B” petition (F2B) or seeks adjustment of status in the F2B category, based upon an originally-filed family-based second-preference “A” petition (F2A) pursuant to Public Law 107-208, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).
I think it will be different with each people. In my case, all three times were different.
The officer usually did a small talk with me while going to the room from the hall asking me about the weather and other information which was not listed in application from my previous state where I lived and how I liked it here. IMO, I took that in good and bad way. Good way in the sense, that he wanted me to feel comfortable and bad way, like as if he is saying, I already know everything about you. So, its a mixed bag.
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 69538-69539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27685]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
20 CFR Part 655
RIN 1205-AB66
Attestation Process for Employers Using F-1 Students in Off-
Campus Work
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
20 CFR Part 655
RIN 1205-AB65
Labor Certification Process for Logging Employment and Non-H-2A
Agricultural Employment
This week I went for my oath ceremony and I am now officially a US Citizen.
The process was very smooth overall.
My only beef is that for the interview I had to go to Holtsville and for the oath I had to go to Central Islip. I live in Queens and I don't drive so getting to those places was a major issue.
Here's my N400 timetable:
Queens/NY
5 years rule
To start with Rajiv is a great guy. I had talked to our corporate lawyers on bringing my wife back with me to the US as the spouse of an American citizen... The options given to me were vague that I was considering declining the job and staying out the US. Rajiv looked at my case, understood our need not to separated and gave me advice on how to tackle the matter. Though the information on the options was still the same, he has an amazing way of explaining the options in ways you can understand and act on. I would recommend him to anyone looking for an immigration visa.
The generosity of this man astounds me. Rajiv Khanna not only thoroughly knowledgeable, but he is always able to convey the law in terms that you can grasp. With some lawyers, you walk away thinking how smart THEY are. With Mr. Khanna, you finish the conference thinking that your problem is not as big as you thought and the law not as complicated as you thought prior to the call. His entire spirit is to help people and this comes through in every conversation. We found Mr. Khanna on line while in the midst of a sticky situation re: my husband's Green Card about two years ago. He was a Godsend. His knowledge, advice and reassurance were invaluable. We recently turned to him re: the possibility of foreign investors for our new business, and an immigration question re: a friend of mine. He never fails to come through. I highly recommend Mr. Khanna not just for his amazing breadth of knowledge, but for his personal caring and kindness.