The registered voters of the state of Maryland will have the opportunity to vote on seven statewide ballot measures in the General Elections, November 6, 2012. Only one relates directly to Immigration and that is Question 4. Question 4, which is often called Maryland’s Dream Act. The ballot question language as it will appear on the Maryland Official Ballot has been included below for your information.
Referendum Petition (Ch. 191 of the 2011 Legislative Session)
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on October 29, 2012 with processing dates as of September 30, 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.
USCIS notice of multiple east coast field office closings on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy.
All applicant appointments will be rescheduled to the next available appointment date. If applicants plan to visit a USCIS office in an area that is or may be affected by the severe weather, please call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) 1-800-375-5283 to ensure the office is open for business and for further instructions on rescheduling appointments.
Source: “AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 11082361 (posted Oct. 29, 2012)”
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on October 19, 2012 with processing dates as of August 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.
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) announced on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 that it has registered more than 4,000 naturalized citizens for voting in the next election. This is the largest number of immigrants it has registered to vote in the organization’s history.
Representatives of MIRA attended naturalization ceremonies in different parts of Massachusetts to find and register these new citizens to vote. Naturalized Americans represent 12 percent of voters in Massachusetts.
MIRA‘s Organizing Director Marcony Almeida said, ”Candidates have too often taken their immigrant constituents for granted, or worse, used them as scapegoats,”. He also stated, ”we wanted to empower new Americans to fight back by representing their own interests and those of their fellow immigrants at the ballot box.”
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, October 26, 2012. Act now and submit your questions!
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) advises the public that Public Law 112-176, signed by the President on Sept. 28, 2012, extends the following USCIS programs until Sept. 30, 2015:
• E-Verify • Immigrant Investor (EB-5) Pilot Program • Special immigrant visa category for non-minister special immigrant religious workers • The date by which J-1 nonimmigrant exchange visitors must obtain that status in order to qualify for the Conrad 30 program.
Program Details
The following immigration-related bills were introduced into the House of Representatives and the Senate January 2012-September 2012.
Senate Bills
S. 3245
Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of October 1, 2012.
If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.
Canadian TN Nonimmigrants
On Oct. 1, 2012, USCIS will begin accepting the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, filed on behalf of Canadian citizens who are outside the United States and seeking classification as a TN nonimmigrant.
With respect to the TN classification, USCIS currently only accepts Form I-129 in connection with a request to extend a TN nonimmigrant’s stay or to change a nonimmigrant’s status to TN.
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog