USCIS National Stakeholder Meeting Updates - 08/26/09
Please find attached Details of USCIS National Stakeholder Meeting which was held on July 27, 2009.
Please find attached Details of USCIS National Stakeholder Meeting which was held on July 27, 2009.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed rule on the removal of HIV infection from its list of communicable diseases of public health significance - As of now with respect to the above proposed rule the Chicago Field Office has not received any guidance from HQ. Hence the office will not hold such applications in suspension until further notice.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Application Support Center (ASC) stand-alone sites will move to a Monday through Friday schedule beginning Nov. 2, 2009. Stand-alone ASCs are those which are not co-located with other federal offices and which previously operated Tuesday through Saturday. All ASCs, both stand-alone and co-located sites, will continue to be open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The DOL released a memo to regional administrators and district directors regarding travel and visa expenses of H-2B workers under FLSA minimum wage laws. In January 2009, the Department ofHomeland Security delegated to Wage and Hour enforcement authority to ensure that H-2B workers are employed in compliance with the H-2B labor certification requirements. Wage and Hour issued regulations implementing this authority, 29 C.F.R. Part 655, which became effective on January 18,2009. Those regulations are applicable to applications for certifications filed on or after that date.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Office of Management and Budget has extended its approval of Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to Aug. 31, 2012. Consequently, USCIS has amended the form to reflect a new revision date of Aug. 7, 2009.
Employers may use the Form I-9 with the revision date of either Aug. 7, 2009 or Feb. 2, 2009. The revision dates are located on the bottom right-hand portion of the form.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced new directives to enhance and clarify oversight for searches of computers and other electronic media at U.S. ports of entry—a critical step designed to bolster the Department’s efforts to combat transnational crime and terrorism while protecting privacy and civil liberties.
[Federal Register: August 28, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 166)]
[Notices]
[Page 44376-44377]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28au09-66]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-600/I-600A, Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Comment Request
[Federal Register: August 28, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 166)]
[Notices]
[Page 44375-44376]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28au09-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-485 and Supplements A and E, Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Comment Request
Here is a document USDOL (Wage and Hour Division) is using to send to employees. This outlines the factors USDOL is most interested in when investigating an employer.
The following FAQ should cover the issues.
Q. I am a US Citizen. My parents (or spouse/spouse-to-be) are in USA on visitors visa. Can I apply for their green card? How does it all work?
We won a case for a Ph.D. in Accounting under the Outstanding Researcher and Professor Category. This individual had over nine years of teaching and research experience. He held a position as an Assistant Professor at a prestigious academic institution. He was noted for innovative and pioneering work in his field as well as significant contributions to accounting principles. This applicant was awarded for outstanding teaching each year from his students and fellow professors.
This applicant provided a 5-year contract for services in a medically underserved area, a copy of his J-1 residency requirement waiver, letters from the Health and Human Services office in his area requesting his services, documentation to reflect the statistics of the health professional shortage in his employment area as well as copies of his license to practice medicine.
We won a case following a Request for Evidence for a scientist considered extraordinary in his field. This Ph.D. was an internationally renowned scientist who is acclaimed and respected in the international research community for his expertise in the area of corneal innate immunity and microbial keratitis. His unique specialty set him apart from others in the field. He was invited to review for a high impact scientific journal. He also had an extensive publication list as well as presentations world-wide for his innovative and pioneering work.
We won a case for a physician who provided a contract for services for 5 years in a medically underserved area. This applicant also submitted copies of his degree, medical license, medical degree equivalency evaluation, USMLE Step 1, 2 and 3, status paperwork, letter from potential employer stating need, documentation of statistical data on medically underserved area and a letter from Bureau of Health Care Services.
We won a case for an Alien of Extraordinary Ability who qualified in numerous components of the category. We argued her contributions were significant as clearly documented by the multitude of reference letters supplied by leading experts in her field. She also had an extensive publication list as well as invitations to present this extraordinary work. Her research has had a significant impact in the field, and consequently the citation record of her work is far greater than most scientists with her years of educational and work experience.