Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Haiti (and eligible individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti) through Jan. 22, 2018. After consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies and reviewing country conditions, Secretary Kelly has determined that a limited, six-month extension is warranted.
As of May 25, 2017, USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the maximum possible numerical limit (the “cap”) of workers who may be issued CNMI-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) visas or otherwise provided with CW-1 status for fiscal year (FY) 2018. Although the FY 2018 cap has not been set, it is required by statute to be less than the 12,998 workers set for FY 2017.
Do the 3 years spent in residency training in an HPSA/MUA area be counted towards the five years required for NIW? The residency training (3 years) and subsequent job (2 years) were on H1B visa in two different HPSA/MUA areas but not processed through NIW route. Can the NIW petition be filed now retrospectively for those years already worked in underserved areas? My current GC sponsoring job is in a University teaching hospital (job designation Assistant Professor) but obviously also involves treating patients. The PERM prevailing wage category was teacher/ Professor but job description included patient care. Can the job be changed to that involving only patient care (no teaching) and still be considered same/ similar? How about a job (with patient care only & no teaching) in a private practice (as opposed to hospital employee)?
Watch the Video on this FAQ: Physicians (FMG) NIW, AC21 portability, Teaching to clinical position
Video Transcription
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.
I would like to know is there anything change in recent EO's that prevent one get Green Card or USC when a person issued a SuperSpeeder ticket. Is this considered a misdemeanor?
Watch the Video on this FAQ: Impact of a misdemeanor under Trump EO
Video Transcript
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.
1. Can we file multiple green cards together? If yes what will be the side effect? <br>
2. My company filed my green card in EB-2 category and I-140 is approved with priority date 2013. I want to give a try with EB1 category personally if I will try in EB-1 and let’s say it is not approved, then will it affect my EB-2 green card?<br>
3. Should job description match in EB-1 and EB-2?<br>
4. What may all possible issues occur?
Video Transcript
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.
1. Can an H-4 EAD person open a small business like ice cream shop as part time?
<br>
2. Also can h1b spouse support the maintenance of the business without taking any remuneration. Is it legal and allowed?
Watch the Video for this FAQ: Activities permitted under H-4 EAD
Video Transcript
1. With a H-4 EAD, you can do anything you like. You can work, you can choose not work, you can start your own business, you can work three hours a day, you can work ten hours a day, you can work eighteen hours a day.
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.
This Update provides helpful hints for U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens on when to change your address with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and do it.
Changing an address with the various Federal immigration components can be confusing, and failure to properly make an address change can lead to denials and other adverse immigration consequences. The Ombudsman's Office encourages immigration benefits applicants and petitioners to promptly notify U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and/or the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) of any change in address. Mail forwarding is not always rapid or reliable.
A recruiting firm for accountants retained our services to file an H-1B petition for a recruiter. Typically, it is difficult to justify that the position of a recruiter qualifies as an H-1B level occupation. Our petition to USCIS argued, however, that even though recruiters do not generally qualify as a specialty level occupation, the present case is different because the beneficiary will be hired as an International Accounting/Finance Recruiter.
USCIS requires applicants and petitioners for certain immigration benefits to be fingerprinted for the purpose of conducting FBI criminal background checks. To better ensure both the quality and integrity of the process, USCIS processes fingerprint cards for immigration benefits only if an authorized fingerprint site prepares them. Authorized fingerprint sites include USCIS offices, Application Support Centers (ASCs), and U.S. consular offices and military installations abroad. In general, USCIS schedules people to be fingerprinted at an authorized fingerprint site after an application or petition is filed. USCIS charges a set fee per person (for most applicants) at the time of filing for this fingerprinting service. Please check the instructions on your Immigration application or petition form to find out if you must be fingerprinted.
The following three points apply for all immigration benefits applications (see exceptionsbelow) requiring an FD-258 fingerprint check filed with USCIS after March 29, 1998:
Applicants and petitioners residing abroad who are fingerprinted at a United States consular or military installation abroad do not need to be fingerprinted by USCIS and are exempt from the fingerprint fee. These applicants and petitioners must file their completed card at the time their application or petition is filed.
The following forms are subject to exceptions to the above requirements.
To find the Application Support Centers (ASCs) closest to you, see the "USCIS Service and Office Locator" page. You can also call our toll free number at 1-800-375-5283.
Related links
Safety & Security of U.S. Borders: Biometrics
Fingerprints & Other Biometrics
Identification Record Request/Criminal Background Check
Upgrade to 10-Fingerprint Collection
Biometrics -DHS
USCIS Ombudsman Case Assistance Online pilot program, a new initiative allowing paperless submission of assistance requests. The pilot program is currently available in Texas and DC, with plans to expand nationwide in fall 2011.
As the traditional harvest season approaches, USCIS reminds petitioners that certain fees may not be collected from H-2A and H-2B workers, according to 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(5)(xi)(A) and § 214.2(h)(6)(i)(B). We realize that delays in adjudicating these petitions may affect employers’ ability to place workers in time-sensitive jobs. To avoid delays, USCIS urges petitioners to submit sufficient information regarding their recruitment efforts and the nature of fees collected from H-2A and H-2B workers.
Release Date: August 2, 2011
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective Aug. 15, 2011, petitioners residing in countries without USCIS offices will be able to file a Petition for an Alien Relative (Form I-130), with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility. This will increase the efficiency of the relative petition filing process and give USCIS more flexibility in managing its workload. Previous regulations permitted these petitioners, who comprise about 5 percent of all I-130 petitioners, to file with USCIS or the U.S.
Q1. Where can I find the laws governing the Employment Based Second Preference (EB-2) Immigrant Visa Category?
A1. The statutory requirements may be found in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) at Section 203(b)(2). The regulatory requirements may be found in the Title 8 Code of Federal Regulations (8 CFR) at section 204.5(k).
My PD is EB3 - Dec 2007. I have 3+2 years of education from India which is equivalent to US Bachelors. I have 3 years of experience before joining the current empoyer. Now I have more than 10 years of experience(including the experience with the current employer). I would like to know if I can apply again in EB-2 with the same employer using the experience gained from current employer.
You can, if the job offered is more than 50% different than the job you were performing so far with the same employer.
I am an RN with a TN visa from Canada. My wife who is an American Indian born in Canada will soon be sponsoring me. Will the fact that I have a visa speed up the process?
It will not speed things up, but filing for Adjustment of Status (which is available only to folks who are already in USA), makes it possible to continue to stay in USA while the green card process is in the works.
Washington – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today announced that Global Entry members will now be issued a Global Entry version of the SENTRI card which allows expedited entry into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico using the NEXUS, SENTRI and Ready Lanes at land ports of entry.
USCIS flyer summarizing information for federal contractors and subcontractors about the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause. It also includes what contractors are affected by the FAR E-Verify clause and how to enrol in E-Verify.
I am working for a newspaper in the U.S. as a designer under the H1-B visa. I might be taking up a job as a reporter at the same newspaper in the same location for the same salary. The only thing that would change would be my job profile. What are the USCIS formalities involved in this particular situation? Would my employer have to file a whole new I-129? Would the entire petition process have to be undertaken again?
The employer will have to file for an H-1B amendment. It is like doing an H-1 all over again, but the fees can be a lot lesser.
My friend filed a petition for an adult child (over 21 years old) six years ago and just received notification this year that there's a visa number available for the child. Meanwhile, the child has traveled to study and obtained a permanent residence in Canada. However, the child still wants to join his mother to the United States. Will the US give the child a GC if all the requirements are met?
Sure. The fact that he is in Canada is not an impediment.
Number 36
Volume IX
Washington, D.C.
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
I recently got my H1B and all thanks to Rajiv, Jagbir and Anna. They give personal attention to the case and make sure that no single information is missing before filing the petition to USCIS. They went in to details of my case and cleared all my doubts. Jagbir and Anna were always there to answer my questions and even Rajiv took out time out of his busy schedule when I needed his opinion. I would like to thank Rajiv and his team for such a great work and would strongly recommend their services to anyone. Best Wishes!