H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

February 19, 2013

USCIS Celebrates Presidents’ Day all week

The USCIS will celebrate Presidents’ Day (2/18/13) by welcoming thousands of new citizens in special naturalization ceremonies across the nation. These special ceremonies take place across the country at different locations. The link below will display all the locations! The ceremonies began on Friday, February 15, 2013 and will end on February 22, 2013.

Please visit the USCIS.gov website for a full list of President’s Day Special Naturalization Ceremonies

Source of Information: “USCIS News Release (2/13/2013)”

February 18, 2013

State of the Union Address and Immigration Reform

by Kellie N. Lego

On Tuesday night (2/12/13) President Obama gave his fifth State of the Union (SOTU) address. The address was a little more than one hour long with only about two minutes dedicated to the subject of Immigration Reform. I have included that portion of the speech on Immigration Reform below so you can read it for yourself. Everything the President included on Immigration Reform was part of his proposal, “Creating an Immigration System for the 21st Century“.

The reaction in Congress was positive, with loud applause coming from both the Democrats and Republicans, which was not the case with other portions of the President’s address. Another good indication that a true bipartisan agreement is possible is that four of the Senators (two from each party) that proposed the “Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform” were seated together and reacted together when Immigration Reform was mentioned. MVP Law Group looks forward to working with any changes Congress may make that improves the lives of our clients!

Portion of the 2013 SOTU address on Immigration Reform:

February 15, 2013

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, February 15, 2013

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 – H-1B Non-Immigrant Visa

Who is included in the H-1B CAP?

February 14, 2013

Visa Bulletin – March 2013

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click here to view the March 2013 Visa Bulletin.

The March 2013 Visa Bulletin shows employment based second preference (EB-2) and employment based third preference (EB-3) as both being oversubscribed. EB-2 is current for all chargeability areas except those listed.

February 13, 2013

New White House Website for Immigration Reform

by Kellie N. Lego

The White House has opened a new Website on the subject of the President’s 2013 Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The opening web page is entitled, “Creating an Immigration System for the 21st Century“. They describe it as a resource for Americans to educate themselves on the issues. MVP Law Group has found it to be a good source of information to understand the President’s own proposal and his “Blueprint for Reform”.

“Remember that this is not just a debate about policy. It’s about people.” – President Obama

For more information on this subject, review the following links:

February 12, 2013

The 2013 State of the Union Address is tonight!

by Kellie N. Lego

MVP Law Group would like to remind everyone to watch President Obama’s State of the Union Address. He will be speaking Tuesday Evening at 9:00 PM EST live from the U.S. Capitol. The White House has suggested that the focus of the address will be immigration, gun control and the economy. We will be listening for any new or expanded information on his proposal for Immigration Reform. We will also be posting more information on the President’s Immigration Reform Proposal tomorrow on our Immigration Blog!

Note: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) will deliver the Republican Address to the Nation following the President’s State of the Union Address. He is one of the eight Senators listed on the “Bipartisan Framework for Immigration Reform” report.

For more information on this subject, review the following links:

February 11, 2013

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, February 15, 2013

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, February 15, 2013. Act now and submit your questions!

February 8, 2013

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 February 5, 2013 with processing dates as of December 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.

California Service Center

February 7, 2013

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of February 1, 2013.

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

Administrative Appeals Office

February 6, 2013

What is the Travel Policy for DACA Recipients?

by Kellie N. Lego

Once you are approved under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) can you legally travel outside of the United States? This is one of the many questions being asked about the DACA process. The answer is yes, but it is restricted and can be risky! After DACA approval you must apply and receive advance parole from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using Form I-131, Application for Travel Document ($360 filing fee) for any foreign travel.

USCIS normally only grants advance parole for foreign travel under the following reasons; Humanitarian purposes, Educational purposes and Employment purposes. Vacation travel is not considered a valid reason. Please note that your Deferred Action will be dismissed automatically if you travel outside the U.S. without receiving advance parole!

If you were ordered deported or removed before you were granted Deferred Action you need to clear that up before traveling even if you have already been approved for advance parole. Before you actually leave the U.S., you should seek to reopen your case with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and obtain administrative closure or termination of your removal proceeding. If you do not receive closure or termination before leaving this country you could be considered deported or removed and your Deferred Action terminated. Simply, you would not be allowed to return to the United States!