How does your immigration status affect your eligibility for health care benefits under the
Affordable Care Act (ACA)? Not Sure? USCIS has put together a list of helpful links from www.healthcare.gov website that may help you.
The www.healthcare.gov website includes some helpful resources and they are listed below:
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have alerted Web Users that some of their online customer service tools will not be available Wednesday, March 19 from 9-11 p.m. EST. They will be conducting maintenance on that part of their online system.
The following online tools will not be available on Wednesday, March 19 from 9-11 p.m. EST:
• Check My Case Status • e-Request • e-Filing • Change of Address Online • Check Processing Times • Civil Surgeon Locator
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2014 statistics (first quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2014 statistics (first quarter) cover October 2013 through December 2013.
The link to each program factsheet is listed below:
• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics, FY 2014 (first quarter)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they have updated and streamlined e-Request. E-Request is a USCIS online customer service inquiry tool which allows an individual to quickly select and submit an online request to USCIS for the following instances listed below:
Case Inquiry
• Case outside of normal processing time (longer than expected)
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2013 statistics in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2013 statistics cover October 2012 through September 2013.
The link to each program factsheet is listed below:
• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics, FY 2013
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 2/18/14 with processing dates as of 12/31/13.
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.
An Elizabeth, NJ woman, Maritza Chavez, advertised herself to the general public as an Immigration Lawyer. Chavez created a company to help immigrants obtain U.S. citizenship. After a thorough investigation, it was made clear that Chavez was not a Lawyer and her company only helped her to take money from her immigrant customers.
In the course of her business, Chavez would submit citizenship applications with the USCIS that were improperly completed, and/or were filed without the required filing fee. When the applications were rejected and ultimately returned to her with a refund, Chavez would illegally keep the money. When clients called Chavez for an update, she would blatantly lie to them.
As part of a plea agreement, Chavez could be sentenced up to 10 years and required to pay over $100,000 in restitution. Chavez will be sentenced by Judge Robert Mega, NJ Superior Court on March 14, 2014. For more details please review the news articles listed below.
On February 1st, the USCIS launched a newly redesigned Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. When calling the USCIS toll-free National Customer Service Center (1-800-375-5283), you will hear a new series of interactive messages to help streamline your access to immigration information, case status, and customer service representatives. This system redesign is in response to USCIS customer feedback, so your feedback is important!
This IVR system will be available 24/7, with live assistance available Monday through Friday (8:00am to 8:00pm) within the continental United States. You can find more information on USCIS’ customer service options on their website!
Source of Information:
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 – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
I think I am eligible under DACA. Do you think given the potential risks, I should file my application with USCIS?
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, January 31, 2014. Act now and submit your questions!
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog