Immigration News

November 13, 2012

The new USCIS Employee Rights Webinar for Form I-9 and E-Verify

Workers and Worker Advocates – Learn more about Employee Rights!

The new Employee Rights Webinar will help you help others to understand their rights in the Form I-9 and E-Verify processes.

USCIS and the DOJ Civil Rights Division are co-presenters of this free live webinar that explains employee rights and employer responsibilities in the employment eligibility verification process. This webinar also includes a review of Self Check and materials to educate and assist workers. Don’t forget to view and download the creative resources in the Employee Rights Toolkit to share with those you serve.

November 9, 2012

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, November 9, 2012

by Kellie N. Lego

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 – General

I have less than 6 months remaining on my passport. May I apply for my U.S. visa?

November 8, 2012

AILA Calls on President Obama to Move Forward on Bipartisan Immigration Reform

by Kellie N. Lego

American Immigration Lawyers Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2012 Contact:

George Tzamaras or Belle Woods 202-507-7649 – 202-507-7675 gtzamaras@aila.org – bwoods@aila.org

November 7, 2012

Diversity Visa 2014 (DV-2014) Program is now closed

by Kellie N. Lego

Registration for DV-2014 is now closed – additional entries cannot be accepted. Online registration for the DV-2014 Program began on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concluded on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4). DV-2014 entrants will be able to check the status of their entries as of May 1, 2013 through Entrant Status Check (ESC) on the E-DV website. See the Diversity Visa Program Instructions webpage for the DV 2014 Instructions and any available translations.

If qualified, you will be able to apply next year for DV-2015!

Source: “AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12110543 (posted 11/5/12)”

November 6, 2012

USCIS Reminds Individuals Affected by Hurricane Sandy of Temporary Immigration Relief Measures

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds customers affected by Hurricane Sandy of certain U.S. immigration benefits or relief that may be available to them.

USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to maintain lawful immigration status or obtain certain other immigration benefits. Eligible individuals may request or apply for temporary relief measures, including:

– A change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;

November 5, 2012

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, November 9, 2012

by Kellie N. Lego

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, November 9, 2012. Act now and submit your questions!

November 2, 2012

Kansas corporation admits knowingly hiring illegal alien to run McDonald’s franchise

by Kellie N. Lego

A Kansas corporation agreed to plead guilty Wednesday to an immigration charge after a federal investigation showed that the manager of one of its McDonald’s restaurants in Wichita was an illegal alien. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, District of Kansas.

This guilty plea agreement resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.

McCalla Corporation, a McDonald’s restaurant franchisee with offices in Wichita, was charged Oct. 31 with one felony count of knowingly accepting a fraudulent identification document offered as proof that an employee was eligible to work. As part of the plea agreement, the corporation agreed to pay a $300,000 fine, and an additional $100,000 forfeiture judgment.

November 1, 2012

Question 4, Maryland’s Dream Act – Ballot Question Language

by Kellie N. Lego

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.

Question 4

Referendum Petition (Ch. 191 of the 2011 Legislative Session)

October 31, 2012

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

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.

California Service Center

October 30, 2012

USCIS Notice of Field Office Closings (10/30/2012)

by Kellie N. Lego

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)”