If you are granted Deferred Action status and after you are issued an Employment Authorization Card (I-765), you may apply for a Social Security Number. You must apply in person at your local Social Security office and must bring your newly issued I-765 and proof of age and Identity. To prove age and identity you must show an original or certified copy of one of the documents listed below.
• Foreign birth certificate;
• Foreign passport;
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on September 13, 2012 with processing dates as of July 31, 2012.
If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.
MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.
Question #1 – Employment Based Immigration – Green Card: Biometrics
The fingerprints that I gave the USCIS a while ago are set to expire soon. Should I make an Info Pass appointment at my local USCIS office to give them a new set of fingerprints?
On September 5, 2012, the United States Embassy in India announced it will begin using a new visa processing system. The new system will standardize procedures and simplify fee payments. Appointment scheduling will be completed by phone or through the website, www.ustraveldocs.com/in. The new visa processing system for India will be available beginning September 26, 2012. This system streamlines the visa process to help meet the increased demand for U.S. visas by offering more online services. One difference to note is that first-time applicants will need to schedule two appointments; one for fingerprinting and one for the consular interview.
For further details read the original press release (http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/pr090512.html).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has advised how they will handle and process Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) requests. AILA has listed these advisories below:
• DHS has advised AILA that its current internal goals for processing of DACA requests are:
o One month from receipt issuance to biometric appointment (the first round of biometrics started on September 6, 2012)
The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.
Click here to view the October 2012 Visa Bulletin.
The October 2012 Visa Bulletin shows employment based second preference (EB-2) as oversubscribed and employment based third preference (EB-3) visas are also listed as oversubscribed.
We wanted to find a new way to engage our reader base. Every other Friday, we will post the ten (10) best/most frequently asked questions received during the week from our h1bvisalawyerblog, Facebook, and Twitter readers. We will answer those questions and provide the Q&A on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, priority dates, the monthly visa bulletin, adjustment applications, etc., please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
Our next “Q & A Forum” will take place this Friday, September 14, 2012. Act now and submit your questions!
The question of whether a new or amended H-1B petition is required when the beneficiary’s worksite changes has been raised with USCIS at the October 5, 2011 stakeholders meeting (AILA Doc. No. 11100570) and again at the March 29, 2012 stakeholders meeting (AILA Doc. No. 12033045). AILA supports the position taken in the October 23, 2003, Efren Hernandez letter, that an amended Form I-129 is not needed for geographic moves so long as the following conditions are met:
1) an LCA has been filed and certified for the new location prior to the employee’s move to the new location;
2) the LCA has been posted in accordance with DOL regulations;
In the past two weeks the Republican and Democratic Parties have released their official 2012 Party Platforms. Here we’ve compiled the major points of each Party’s platform that relate to immigration.
The Republican Party Platform on Immigration (Summary)
• Supports the rule of law and opposes any form of amnesty.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Service Center Operations (SCOPS) liaison committee expressed concern to USCIS that the significant delays in adjudicating cap-subject H-1B petitions at the two service centers will cause disruptions for employers who rely on the arrival of new H-1B workers and disruptions for the continued employment of F-1 practical trainees as H-1B workers, on October 1, 2012, initiate, continue, or expand projects. SCOPS replied that USCIS understands AILA’s concerns about the processing times for cap-subject H-1B petitions, including cap-gap and consular notification cases.
Service Center Operations has made adjudication of these cases by October 1st a top priority by adding additional resources as available. USCIS states that service centers are doing their best to adjudicate these cases as soon as possible. AILA thanked SCOPS for that information and alerted them that petitioners are concerned that they will be forced to upgrade to premium processing.
Source of Information: “AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12090443 (posted Sep. 4, 2012)”
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog