Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 17, 2009
Question: Are there any new developments on the visa waiver program for Greek citizens? Where does the U.S. currently stand on this issue?
Answer: The U.S. Government is in the final stages of the decision process, and we hope to conclude the process soon.
As of November 20, 2009, approximately 56,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has approved sufficient H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees to meet the exemption of 20,000 from the fiscal year 2010 cap. Any H-1B petitions filed on behalf of an alien with an advanced degree will now count toward the general H-1B cap of 65,000.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has established a streamlined, standardized process for receiving requests for accommodations from customers with disabilities. Customers in need of accommodations from field offices and Application Support Centers should now call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD: 1-800-767-1833).
I got my GC yesterday. I am still waiting on GC for my wife because there is an RFE on her case.I didn't get the RFE information yet on my wife. This is my case ============ -US Masters Degree - EB2 , Priority Date Nov 2004 - Applied for EAD in Sep 2009. - Received EAD in three weeks and AP in four weeks. - Received GC yesterday after 70 days for my application date. I want to thanks Prerna Mehta for all her efforts. She was very patient, informative and supportive.
Q: Is there anything that can be done for I-730s and I-485s that are placed on hold for material support issues—i.e., should we send in a declaration stating that the client did not participate in any violence, does not believe the organization was violent, and did not provide material support to support violent activity? Or should we just wait for further guidance?
A: USCIS is open to inquiries regarding these cases that are on hold.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officially opened a new Verification Operations Center in Buffalo, N.Y., today. The Center employs about 135 people and is dedicated solely to USCIS’ verification mission. The ceremony included a tribute to Medal of Honor recipient, Major John Farquhar, a Scottish immigrant who served with the Union Army during the Civil War and returned to Buffalo representing the city for six years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) advises its customers that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2010, signed by the President on Oct. 28, 2009, extends the following USCIS programs until Sept. 30, 2012:
Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding travelers planning trips across the border into the United States to make sure they have the proper documents this weekend in conjunction with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. As a result, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials want to remind the traveling public that there are a number of steps that can be taken to facilitate their arrival into the United States.
Travelers are reminded to check traffic at all local border crossings within the Buffalo/Niagara region and select the crossing that is least congested.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program office has a new mailing address! SEVP recommends that all correspondence be mailed to the following mailing address: Student and Exchange Visitor Program, Attn: (Branch Name or Job Title), SEVP MS 5600, DHS/ICE, 500 12th Street, SW,; Washington, DC 20598-5600. The new main telephone number is (703) 603-3400.
I had my interview today morning (2/6/2012) and I got "Congratulations, your application is recommended for approval." letter at the end .
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance on October 7, 2009 to clarify for performing arts associations and their members the regulatory requirements for agents who file as petitioners for the O and P visa classification.
O and P visas apply to non-immigrants with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, or in the motion picture and television field. O and P petitions may only be filed by a U.S. employer, a U.S. agent, or a foreign employer through a U.S. agent.
I am happy to share the good news with all of you that my wife and I became citizen's yesterday. The process was very easy. We had interview appointments at 10:05 am and were called in before 10:15. The interview lasted 5 mins and the officer did not look at any documents I took. I spent last two weeks trying to collect all kinds of documents mentioned on another thread. Anyway here is my timeline:
RD: 3/08/2006
FP: 4/18/2006
Interview/Oath: 5/24/2006
Here is a recent visa stamping experience narrated by one of our team members.
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I went for an H-1B visa stamping at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Canada, in November 2012. This was my first H-1B visa stamping. I wanted to share my experience with you and hope that it will be helpful in providing some insight into the entire process.
Scheduling the Interview
Here is a series of questions that should be relevant for many people:
USCIS' Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) office has recently explained the three types of site visits that are currently being conducted:
1. Risk Assessment Program fraud study (RANDOM VISITS). This is a joint study by USCIS and ICE applicable to both family-based and employment-based cases. Cases are chosen for randomly for review and site visits usually after a case is approved. The purpose of this study is to build a profile of the types of cases where fraud is most prevalent.
FAQ: H-4 EAD filing while H-1 extension is pending; H-4 EAD. Converting from H-1 to H-4 EAD - good idea or not? H-4 EAD. Documents needed; name issues; processing times, etc.; H-4 EAD Expediting Possible?
Other Topics: Green card issues because of diseases; H-1 amendment with change of location; when is a degree considered to be completed;
I would like to express my gratitude and thankfulness to the Law offices of Rajiv Khanna for their expertize in handling my case from the very beginning.
Through out this journey Rajiv and his team(Art Shifflett) were so detailed, deligent and very informative in handling of our cases. They are very professional and prompt in resolving any issues with USCIS.
My special thanks to Art Shifflett , he is very very prompt and polite person, he always responds to emails right away and even if you forget he reminds and follow ups, he forwards all questions to appropriate person and makes sure you get the answer you are looking for.
My spouse is on H-1 visa and his former employer filed I-140 and then my spouse changed his employment to another employer and transferred his H-1, the I-140 has not been revoked by former employer. So my H-4 is with the former employer valid for three years, and current employer for my spouse has not filed H-1 for me. Is the H-4 from the former employer valid for file EAD or do I have to apply for H-4 again and what would be the documents that would I need to file H-4 EAD ?
Every time the H-1 holder changes job, the H-4 holder does not need to re -apply for H-4. Your H-4 is good. You don't have to have different H-4 for the employer. Of course, every time the H-1 holders change their job they have apply for new H-1 but as long as you never violated status and H-1 holder has never violated status that H-4 continued to be good from job to job to job, you are good.
Your second question was what document need to file H-4 EAD?
I got my H-1B petition approved last year, it got extended as well. I have never used any of these visas to work in the U.S. though I have travelled few times to U.S. but on B-1 visa for meetings with the customers. So the question is when do I become exempt from the H-1 quota?
In your situation when you are outside the USA, you become exempt from the H-1 quota when you get your visa stamped. So I think USCIS interpretation of law is faulty and incorrect, because in my view as soon as H-1 is approved you should be exempt from the quota but USCIS has taken the position that unless you get the visa stamped from the consulate we will not consider you exempt if you are outside the USA. So it appears to me that you should be exempt from the quota.
I just got my citizenship and now wants to apply for my younger sister, who is alone in India. I lost my parents few years back so she is all alone but she is above 18. Is there any way I as a brother and only relationship here in United States apply for her Green card in such a manner that she can be here in United States as soon as possible.
Siblings Green Card is like planting mango trees, in India we used to have saying that mango trees takes so long to bring fruit that one generation plants the tree and the second generation eats the mangoes. It's kind of that for sibling cases, it takes 13 years for the Green Card to come through and there is no way we can expedite that Green Card.
It has been a pleasure working with Rajiv and office for almost 8 years now. Each case has been given personal attention. Suggestions given for how to project tough cases. Team has always been supportive and meticulous. Cases are handled in a very professional way. Looking forward to be working with them for many more years.
I finally received my green card this month after 5 years. Just a little background, I been working with Rajiv ji since 1999 , I almost have 6-7 H1 extensions. I started my GC process before Perm and been through almost all the possible complications one can have. I can proudly say that with help of Rajivji and team I am able to finish that journey without losing the hope. I got an opportunity to talk to Rajivji for than 6-7 times on different problems. I am really amazed the way he handles these repetitive questions with sincerity and in-depth knowledge of his trade.
On one Friday I received a notice that USCIS transferred my I-485 case to AAO by mistake even after they approved my second I-140. I was really upset as it means there will be at least 18 months delay even if my date is current. To my surprise I received CC email from Mr.Khanna on early Saturday morning guiding his team about next step. It clearly shows how closely he monitors most of his cases.
Also many thanks to [b]Sumanji,Anna, Mathew,Rita,Bharthi,subba,Pranita[/b] and other staff members who are very co-operative during this process.
I am greatly thankful to one of Rajivji’s [b]attorney Ms Sheena Gill[/b], with whom I worked for last two years. She is more than one can ask to get[b] best case manager[/b] on your case. Since USCIS send my case I-485 to AAO it was clear that this case will go nowhere. Sheena was super prompt in following up the case during this time. Without her efforts it was not possible to reach at this stage.
I am thankful to Mr.Rajiv Khanna and his staff for all the help during these nine years.