Articles Posted in Immigration News

The USCIS has announced that starting Friday, May 1, 2015 they will ONLY accept the new version of the Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (edition date: 10/23/14). USCIS will continue to accept both old and new versions of this Form (I-129) until April 30, 2015.

Purpose of Form*

For petitioners filing on behalf of a nonimmigrant worker to come to the United States temporarily to perform services or labor, or to receive training, as an H-1B, H-1C, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L-1, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1 or R-1 nonimmigrant worker. Petitioners may also use this form to request an extension of stay in or change of status to E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B1 or TN, or one of the above classifications for an alien.

What is Family Detention? Family detention is the increasingly alarming practice of detaining immigrant families, including babies and children, with their parents in ICE detention centers across the country.

We urge everyone to sign the petition insisting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) release Melida and her 4-year-old daughter, Estrella, from family detention. For 8 months they have been held in ICE’s Karnes County Residential Center. Melida also has a 10-year-old U.S. citizen daughter; a sister with a green card; and other U.S. citizen family and friends, all waiting for her in New York and willing to care for her while her case proceeds. The long-term detention has made Estrella chronically ill, resulting in her hospitalization. Melida is terrified of returning to Guatemala, where the family of the gang member who was convicted of murdering her sister-in-law wants retribution.

ICE has the authority to release her and her daughter, but so far has denied every request. If Prosecutorial Discretion means anything, it means that Melida and Estrella should be released. You can sign the MoveOn.org petition for ICE Director Saldana at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-ice-to-release-melida?source=c.tw&r_by=13011783.

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 4/13/15 with processing dates as of 2/28/15.

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 (CSC)

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has invited Stakeholders, and anyone affected by the organization, to an online Webinar on Friday, April 10, 2015 between 12:00pm to 1:00pm (EST). The content of the webinar will be the USCIS online Customer Service Tools including myUSCIS and will include a Q&A.

This newly introduced tool, myUSCIS, allows you to setup an individual online account to view your case status and history for most of the applications and petitions you have filed with USCIS.

Event Information:

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) will be holding a teleconference on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 between 2:00pm to 3:30 pm (EST). The subject of the event will be the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee/Parole Program and will include Q&A.

The CAM program provides certain children in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras with a safe, legal, and orderly alternative to the dangerous and costly journey that some children are taking to the United States. For more details on this program please review the link, “In-Country Refugee/Parole Processing for Minors in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala (Central American Minors – CAM)“.

Event Information:

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 3/6/15 with processing dates as of 1/31/15.

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 (CSC)

The following immigration related bills were introduced into the House of Representatives and the Senate January 2015 through February 2015.

Pending Legislation:

Senate Bills

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 2/27/15 with processing dates as of 12/31/14.

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 (CSC)

On Tuesday, March 3rd, the House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through to the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2015)! It was a clear bill sent over from the Senate and had no attachments targeted at President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The vote was 257-167 and now the bill goes to President Barack Obama for his signature, which he has said he would sign. Most House Republicans voted against the bill. The winning vote was comprised of just 75 Republicans and 182 Democrats.

Source of Information:

CNN.com, 3/4/15, Article:

Congress passed a stop-gap funding bill, late Friday night, (2/27/15) funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for one more week. This temporary funding is set to run out at 11:59 p.m. this Friday, (3/6/15).

The House tried earlier on Friday to pass a three week temporary funding bill but it was voted down, which was a surprise to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. It was reported that some House Republicans voted against it because it failed to remove funding for President Obama’s executive actions on Immigration (11/20/14). Some House Democrats voted against it for not funding DHS through the end of the fiscal year.

Source of Information: