U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the launch of our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records SysTem (FIRST), which will eventually allow users to submit, manage, and receive FOIA requests entirely online. Before this change, USCIS only accepted FOIA requests by mail, fax, and email, and requesters typically received their documents on a compact disc by mail.
I found working with Mr. Khanna and his team to be a pleasant experience. I changed my status from F1 to a Religious worker visa. I was very anxious during this process but I was at peace knowing that the people who were helping me through this process were able and competent professionals. Mr. Khanna was every personable and was eager to clarify all my questions. Also, Mr. Khanna contacted my employer on several occasions in order to explain the legalities involved in filing for the Religious worker visa, for this was the first time my employer had hired a foreign national. I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation to Ms. Anna Baker, who was my primary contact at the Law Offices of Rajiv Khanna.
Can I keep the notarized copy of my green card instead of original green card? Because I think it’s risky to carry GC all the time and have fear of it getting lost. cost and wait time for replacing GC is very high.
When I will travel out of town or government buildings I can take my GC with me. But for other day to day routine travel can I keep my GC safe at home ? What is the maximum penalty I have to pay if random checked by immigration officer (very unlikely) I provide my driving license and notarized copy of GC? Is it very serious offense ? Have you seen people getting into immigration(USCIS) trouble for not carrying original GC?
Do we have to do police complaint if GC is lost? If yes then can you please explain the procedure, and forms to fill.
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the start of a six-month testing period of Incident Driven Video Recording System (IDVRS) in operational environments.
On April 15, 2018, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough petitions to meet the fiscal year (FY) 2019 cap of 4,999 for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) program.
Release Date
As part of the credit card payment pilot program, the USCIS service centers are now accepting credit card payments using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for all forms except Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for H-1B and H-2A petitions.
USCIS recently updated the lockbox filing location information for the following USCIS form(s). Please see the “Where to File” section of the webpage for your form.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, March 03, 2022:
FAQ: Abandonment; can I leave the USA while a change of status is pending?/Stamping requirements || Relation between F-1 status and I-485 AOS (child covered under Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)) || Relation between F-1 OPT and H-1B lottery change of status and changing employers || Is doing an unpaid U.S. externship/observership with F-2 visa unauthorized employment? || Can parents of U.S. citizens travel to the U.S. on an existing B-2 visa while their GC is pending?
FAQ's answered in The Economic Times NRI Helpdesk: Can I start my own business if I'm an H-1B visa holder?
Published by: The Economic Times: March 05, 2022
Release Date
In the recently published April Visa Bulletin, the Department of State advanced the Date for Filing (also known as the application date) applications for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status in the employment-based, second preference (EB-2) category for India from Sept. 1, 2013, to Sept. 1, 2014.
Processing Queue | Priority Date |
---|---|
Analyst Review | September 2021 |
Audit Review | June 2021 |
Reconsideration Request to the CO | September 2021 |
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during April for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
For more details please visit this link:
If you are a healthcare worker or a childcare worker who has a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization renewal application and your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expires in 30 days or less or has already expired, you can request expedited processing of your EAD renewal application. USCIS had previously announced this flexibility for qualifying healthcare workers assisting public health efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. USCIS is now extending this flexibility to qualifying childcare workers.
Release Date
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address the documentation that certain E and L nonimmigrant spouses may use as evidence of employment authorization based on their nonimmigrant status.
In October'20 I filed for the EB3 downgrade based on the Date of Filing, my wife and son were included in the petition. In December'20 my son filed for the F1 - I539 adjustment of status petition. In April'21 my wife, son, and I received the GC EAD Cards. In Aug '21 the EB3 Final Action Date became current for me, and my son became 21 and should be covered under CSPA. In Feb'22 USCIS approved his I-539 F1 COS petition. My son is a Senior in college doing his major in Industrial Engineering in the final semester. He is on the lookout for possible internship/employment opportunities. Does the F1 approval mean he is no longer under GC EAD? What's your recommendation on whether he should choose to be on F1 or seek employment on GC EAD?
My recommendation would be to just use the green card EAD. You cannot do interfiling because then your son would lose his CSPA protection.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Background: I am currently on L-2 VISA and is going to expire in May. My company is going to file my Canada visa in a month. My spouse's (currently on L1A) employer is going to file her GC soon and she wants to stay with our kids until a decision is made (stay as a visitor or on the basis of GC filing). We decided that I will go to Canada and if the GC processing won't happen or the outcome is negative, she will join me in Canada at a later time.
Now:
I want to apply for the change of status from L-2 visa to visitor visa while I am still in the US, and leave for India while my Canadian visa is in process and travel to Canada directly from India. (I am going to see my parents as it's been years and can't travel to India if I join my company back in Canada anytime soon).
Questions:
1) Is it okay to leave the US while my change of status from L-2 to Visitor visa is in the process?
2) If yes, will USCIS continue to process and intimate me once they approve?
In this case it should be fine, but remember to go through the Section 222 (g;) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Another thing you need to remember is in order for you to get a B-2 visa stamp or a B-1 visa stamp at the consulate you do not need any kind of approval from the USCIS.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
We assisted our client in filing an I-129F petition to bring his fiancee to the U.S. in anticipation of their upcoming marriage in the U.S. On Form I-129F the petitioner answered “yes” to the question: “Have you ever been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, convicted, fined, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance in any country, excluding traffic violations (unless a traffic violation was alcohol-or drug-related or involved a fine of $500 or more)?”. We included reference to that issue in the filing.
I got my USA citizenship this Jan, and I want to start the green card process for my parents. They are currently with me in the USA on a visitor visa, however, they would like to go back to India in March after the 6 months of allowed stay in the USA.
So I want to know when I start the green card process for my parents when they are in India, can they still travel to the USA on their existing B-2 visitor visa (valid till 2026), or should they be in India until the consular processing for their green card is complete?
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) people do not hassle the parents or spouses of the U.S citizens too much as long as they are not entering to adjust to green card status within the United States. But if a CBP officer is either ill-informed or particularly unnecessarily harsh they could stop you and ask you to go back (which is unlikely).
A practical solution I would recommend to people is to do an immigration pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi (if you are traveling from India) that way if they are denied entry they just return from Abu Dhabi they don't have to come all the way to the United States.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
I have completed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations and I am looking forward to applying for residency in the USA. Now I have got an externship opportunity. This rotation, according to the institute, is a voluntary experience that does not account for any medical education, graduate medical education, continuing medical education, or any training leading to licensure or board certification. During this given opportunity, I may receive a letter of recognition or a certificate of completion to fulfill an observational or shadowing requirement as needed. This rotation will allow externs to partake in taking patient history, physical, and procedures under direct supervision. There will be no direct patient care responsibilities as well as actual clinical practice.
I need to get US clinical experience and recommendations to apply for the residency.
My husband emailed the Office of International Services of his university and in the reply email, they mentioned the following points-
In the past, the federal government has defined employment as “any type of work performed for services provided in exchange for money, tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, food or any other benefit.” Many immigration lawyers and other international services offices have pointed to the “any other benefit” phrase as a prohibitive phrase. If a student were to receive the benefit of gaining experience in their field of study, the government could interpret this as “unauthorized employment”. This would be a serious violation of their immigration status.
Also according to the DSO of the University of Pittsburgh, a researcher/ lab technician even if does an unpaid job would not be considered a volunteer job.
Now my query is can I apply to the externships/ observership being on an F-2 visa and as this externship will benefit me getting recommendation and experience, would this be considered a violation of the law?
I do not consider this to be a violation of law. There are other issues in volunteering, but that's the employer's problem, not yours.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Number 64
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during April for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
First of all I just want to thank you to Rajiv, Vijay and everyone else in the office that has been with me throughout the journey. They have been very professional, efficient and reliable. Rajiv has been so quick in replying emails to me every time I have any questions and I really appreciate it. Sometimes unexpected situations came up and the way Rajiv addressed and handled such issues made me feel extremely grateful that he was there. His calm spirit and the way he talks just make me feel like there are no existing problems, just situations, which can always be fixed. I remember when I asked my sister why she chose this law firm (she introduced Rajiv’s law firm to me), she said that when she first met with Rajiv, he just gave her this vibe that everything will be alright and that he seemed really kind (and he is), compared to other lawyers that she has met before.
I also would like to thank you Vijay from the bottom of my heart because Vijay has been extremely patient and nice to me. I have been working with Vijay since the beginning of my application and he has always been there for me whenever I need. Even though I bugged him a million times via phones/emails, he is still very patient and kind to me and helps guiding me with all the GC paperwork. So thank you Vijay for your complete support during this journey.
My timeline for the EB3 Green Card is as followed:
Jan 24 - Filing I-140 & I-485 concurrently (I-140 is premium processing)
Jan 26 – Application received
Feb 7 – I-140 approval notice
Feb 19 - Fingerprint notice
Feb 28 – Fingerprint Appointment
Mar 28 – EAD/AP card approved
April 20 – Interview notice
May 21 – Interview day
May 24 – Case was approved
Again, thank you so much to Rajiv, Vijay and everyone who has been handling my case from the start to finish. You guys are the best and I would highly recommend Rajiv and his team without any hesitation in regards to any immigration cases.