Pauly P.A. – German-American Law Firm

Tag: visas

  • Immigration Services When Faced With Unforeseen Circumstances, Including Hurricanes

    In the aftermath of hurricane Irma, US Citizenship and Immigration Services just released the following public service advisory. While we share this advisory to inform potentially affected individuals in the US, please carefully consider the effect of making contact or requesting any relief from USCIS in light of your individual situation. If in doubt, please contact a qualified immigration attorney, so that you are assured that your information remains confidential:

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    From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services <uscis@public.govdelivery.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 8:09 AM
    Subject: Immigration Help Available to Those Affected by Hurricane Irma

    USCIS offers immigration services that may help people affected by unforeseen circumstances, including disasters such as Hurricane Irma.

    The following measures may be available on a case-by-case basis upon request:

    • Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States. Failure to apply for the extension or change before expiration of your authorized period of admission may be excused if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control;
    • Re-parole of individuals previously granted parole by USCIS;
    • Expedited processing of advance parole requests;
    • Expedited adjudication of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
    • Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate;
    • Consideration of fee waivers due to an inability to pay;
    • Assistance for those who received a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny but were unable to submit evidence or otherwise respond in a timely manner;
    • Assistance if you were unable to appear for a scheduled interview with USCIS;
    • Expedited replacement of lost or damaged immigration or travel documents issued by USCIS, such as a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card); and
    • Rescheduling a biometrics appointment.

    Note: When making a request, please explain how the impact of Hurricane Irma created a need for the requested relief.

    To learn how to request these measures or determine if an office is open, call the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 800-767-1833) or visit our USCIS Office Closings webpage.

    If your InfoPass appointment was affected by this storm, you can reschedule your appointment online or by calling the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 800-767-1833).

    All Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, requirements remain in place. Those affected by Hurricane Irma should review Form I-9 acceptable documents and receipts for more information on how to complete the Form I-9 if an employee’s documents are lost, stolen, or damaged.Visit I-9 Central for more information.

    For more information about how we provide assistance to individuals affected by unforeseen circumstances, visit our Special Situations webpage or call the National Customer Service Center.

    For more information about the federal government response to Hurricane Irma, visit usa.gov/hurricane-irma.

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  • USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for FY 2016 Beginning April 1, 2015

    USCIS posts today that it will begin accepting FY2016 H-1B petitions on 4/1/15.

    USCIS expects to receive more petitions than the 65,000 H-1B cap during the first five business days of this year’s program and as in previous years will randomly select the cap-subject petitions for processing using a lottery system. All petitions not selected or submitted after the first 5 days will be rejected.

    Please find the complete USCIS Press Release here: http://www.uscis.gov/news/uscis-will-accept-h-1b-petitions-fiscal-year-2016-beginning-april-1-2015

     

  • DOS Confirms China-Mainland Born and India EB-2 Cut-offs

    Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Visa Control at the State Department, has confirmed that, effective March 23, 2012, no further EB-2 visas will be authorized for China-mainland born and India applicants with priority dates of August 15, 2007, or later. Visa applicants processing in April at consulates abroad will still receive visas, as those numbers were allocated before the cut-off date was established. Mr. Oppenheim understands that USCIS will continue to accept applications for adjustment of status for aliens with priority dates prior to the date established in the April 2012 Visa Bulletin. Those cases with priority dates of August 15, 2007, or later, will be processed by USCIS to the point of approval (pre-adjudicated) and a request for a visa number will be forwarded Visa Control at DOS to be held in a “pending” file until new visas are available beginning with FY2013 on October 1, 2012. Mr. Oppenheim advises that an item in the May Visa Bulletin will address the EB-2 movement.
    AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12040447 (posted Apr. 4, 2012)

  • As of 4/4/2012, USCIS has already received 22,323 H-1B visa application received

    AILA Liaison learned at a CSC/VSC stakeholder engagement on 4/5/2012 that USCIS has received 22,323 cap-subject H-1B petitions as of 4/4/2012. Approximately 25% of the cases are for U.S. advanced degrees.

    AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12040553 (posted Apr. 5, 2012)