Articles Posted in Immigration News

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The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently updated their list of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) approved schools. The schools listed have all been certified to participate in the program.

The program allows foreign students interested in obtaining an education in the United States to complete a visa petition, pay the required fee, and attend a U.S. College or University.

Interested Foreign students: There is a process in obtaining a student visa, but it is not a difficult one. The student must first obtain Form I-20 from the U.S. College or University from which he/she intends to enroll, pay the required visa fee (Form I-901) and contact a local U.S. Consulate/Embassy to schedule an interview. The SEVP procedures differ among U.S. Consulates/Embassies; contact your U.S. Consulate/Embassy NOW to determine its particular procedure on applying for a visa before planning for the interview.

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Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on February 17, 2010 with processing dates as of December 31, 2009.

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.

California Service Center

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The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Liaison Committee received reports from AILA members that CBP inspectors at the Newark, New Jersey airport port of entry were apparently assisting in an investigation involving certain H-1B nonimmigrants from India and certain H-1B petitioner companies.

The CBP inspector’s questions focused on (1) who the individuals worked for, (2) how their pay was computed, (3) who paid their salary, (4) their job duties, and (5) what they were paid. According to the reports, some individuals were subjected to expedited removal and visa cancellation.

After inquiring with CBP headquarters about these alleged incidents, the CBP Liaison Committee was advised that many of the cases involved in the allegations involved companies currently under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and/or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for ongoing fraud. The CBP provided that upon an inadmissibility finding, the determination to either allow the applicant to withdraw his or her application for admission or to subject the applicant to expedited removal was based on “the totality of the circumstances” and was reviewed on a “case-by-case” basis. The CBP also confirmed that they screen ALL employment-based visa holders to determine admissibility and ensure compliance with entry requirements.

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Due to the passage of the Employ American Worker Act (EAWA), the USCIS is required to collect Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) information on each H-1B petitioning employer. Under the EAWA legislation, any company that has received TARP funding and seeks to hire new H-1B workers is considered an “H-1B dependent employer.” An H-1B dependent employer must make additional statements to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regarding the recruitment and non-displacement of U.S. workers when filing a Labor Condition Application (LCA).

After enactment of EAWA, USCIS revised its Form I-129, Petition for Non-immigrant Worker, to include a question asking whether the employer has received TARP funding.

It has come to the attention of the USCIS that some businesses who have received TARP funds may have repaid their obligations and may not know how to proceed with completing Form I-129 when filing for new H-1B hires.

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The Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Alejandro Mayorkas and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have entered into an agreement to strengthen and enhance local immigrant integration efforts. Launched as a pilot, this agreement will remain in effect for two (2) years with evaluations conducted by the USCIS to analyze the program’s effectiveness and to determine whether this partnership may be replicated in other locations.

The purpose of the partnership initiative is to strengthen immigrant integration efforts in Los Angeles through proactive citizenship awareness, education and outreach activities. The partnership has planned a series of informational sessions as well as other activities for Los Angeles residents where USCIS educational materials highlighting the benefits and process of U.S. Citizenship will be available at city facilities.

Mayor Villaraigosa provided that “this outreach campaign is a model of cooperation and civic empowerment that will help enrich America’s continued success as a nation of immigrants.”

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The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently reversed the final determination of a Certifying Officer (CO) denying labor certification (LC) for an alien worker for the position of Household Assistant.

The employer filed a LC which was accepted for processing on June 5, 2006. On September 20th, the CO denied the application because several required selections on the form had not been made by the Employer. The Employer thereafter requested reconsideration at the end of October. In its request for reconsideration, the Employer’s attorney provided responses to the omissions and believed that the request for reconsideration was to determine that the 30 day deadline had not elapsed. The Employer argued that each of the omissions was not material to the adjudication of the application as other information provided within the form answered the essential questions posed by the form. The Employer clearly stated in the motion for reconsideration that it was providing reasons for omissions in the event that the CO accepted the motion despite its lack of timeliness. Thereafter the CO accepted the Employer’s explanations for several of the selections, but found that the denial was valid because the Employer still did not provide information on what should be completed for the omitted selections. On appeal, the CO moved to dismiss the appeal on the ground that it was not timely. The Employer thereafter filed a response opposing the CO’s motion to dismiss.

PERM Regulation 20 C.F.R. § 656.17(a) controls and it requires that an employer who desires to apply for a labor certification on behalf of an alien must file a completed Department of Labor (DOL) Application for Permanent Employment Certification (ETA Form 9089). The regulation goes on to provide that incomplete applications will be denied. In the instant case, the Board found that the CO waived the issue of timeliness and made their decision based upon the materiality of the omissions. The Board recognized that some omissions may not be material to the review of the substance of an application and stated that the Employer made reasonable arguments as to why, in context, the omissions all were not material; however, the CO proffered no explanation for why the omissions prevented a complete review of the application.

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On January 14, 2010, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo obtained a temporary restraining order against the International Immigrants Foundation, Inc. (“IIF”), International Professional Association, Inc. (“IPA”), and their President Edward Juarez.

As a result of the order, the organizations must refrain from providing immigration services and from soliciting new clients. To help handle the organizations’ existing clients and to protect innocent victims, the Office of the AG and several New York legal associations have made a plan to coordinate their efforts.

The Attorney General filed a lawsuit against these organizations alleging that they have been defrauding immigrants with false promises of citizenship, engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, and illegally charging exorbitant fees for services.

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The Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Alejandro Mayorkas has recently issued a response to the recommendations of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman regarding the temporary acceptance of Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for certain H-1B filings.

Until March 9, 2010, the USCIS Service Centers will continue to accept H-1B petitions filed without certified LCAs. However, the only H-1B petitions that will be accepted are those that have been filed at least seven (7) calendar days after the LCAs were filed with the Department of Labor (DOL). The only acceptable proof of the submission of the LCA for certification with the DOL is a copy of the DOL’s email giving notice of receipt of the LCA.

Those that do take advantage of the temporary acceptance of these certain H-1B filings must wait until they receive a Request for Evidence (RFE) before submitting the certified LCA to USCIS. The LCA submitted in response to receiving an RFE must be the same LCA filed with the original petition and it must be submitted within 30 calendar days of receipt of the RFE requesting such documentation.

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The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released on January 28, 2010 with processing dates as of January 4, 2010.

If you filed an appeal, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Administrative Appeals Office

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In support of an H-1B petition, a petitioner must not only establish that the beneficiary is coming to the United States temporarily to work in a specialty occupation but the petitioner must also satisfy the requirement of being a U.S. employer by establishing that a valid employer-employee relationship exists between the U.S. employer and the beneficiary throughout the requested H-1B validity period. The Petitioner must also file an LCA specific to EACH location where the beneficiary will be working.

“United States employer,” is defined at C.F.R. 214.2(h)(4)(ii) as follows:

United States employer means a person, firm, corporation, contractor, or other association, or organization in the United States which:

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