Visa Lawyer Blog

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This is a very important update for all our I- 601 waiver clients and readers of this Blog that follow this area of law. As noted in other postings regarding the move of the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez to its new facility this month, the USCIS overseas office in Juarez will also be moving.

The USCIS office will be located in the consular compound, rather than in an off-site location. Thus, November 5, 2008, is the last fully operational day for the office before the move. The office will be closed November 6 through November 11. There will be no communication via telephone, e-mail, or fax during the relocation from November 6 through November 12, and the office will be providing only emergency services.

The USCIS office will start accepting a limited number of 601 waiver applications again on November 12, 2008, as the consulate reopens. The schedule is to start with approximately 20 waiver cases on November 12, and then ramp up to the normal 100 per day on November 17.

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On 11/3/08 DHS announced that Secretary Chertoff signed a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) declaration with Romanian Ambassador Adrian Vierita. The declaration outlines security measures required for Romania’s possible designation as a VWP member.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States of America which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. All countries participating in the program are high-income economies with a high HDI and most are regarded as developed countries. This will be a big step for Romania if accepted into the program.

Read the press release

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Sen. Barack Obama didn’t know his aunt might be living illegally in the United States, as media outlets are reporting, and his campaign will return contributions she made, an aide said Saturday.

According to The Associated Press, a court refused four years ago to accept the asylum application of Zeituni Onyango, 56, the half-sister of Obama’s Kenyan father. However, she has continued to live in a public housing complex in South Boston, AP reported.

Read More…..

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The former CEO of Agriprocessors Inc., was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Thursday and charged with criminal violations of immigration law. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth, Northern District of Iowa.

The complaint alleges that the week before a May 12, 2008, ICE enforcement operation at

Agriprocessors in Postville, Rubashkin – then the CEO of Agriprocessors – loaned $4,500 in $100

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A U.S. citizen held at a border immigration center for 15 days has been released after an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer showed a birth certificate to federal authorities. Guillermo Olivares Romero, who has robbery and forgery convictions and has been deported twice, was taken into custody at San Diego’s Otay Mesa detention center on Sept. 25.

The 25-year-old Los Angeles man was released Oct. 9 when an ACLU attorney presented birth, school and vaccination records. Olivares told the Los Angeles Times immigration authorities don’t believe him when he shows his birth certificate.

Read the story here….

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Sarah Palin was very silent on the topic of immigration right up until her first interview with a Spanish-language network. Her views on immigration were kept confidential by her team for the past several weeks. Anchor Jorge Ramos sat down with the Republican vice presidential candidate to finally shed some light on Palin’s views on immigration.

Here are a few key points from the interview:

The interview was aired on October 21, 2008 during the broadcast of “Aquí y Ahora” on Univision Network. The following excerpt was taken from that interview:

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Department of Labor released very interesting statistics about PERM cases filed during 2008. Here are some highlights:

Approximately 49,205 cases were certified during the first quarter of FY 2008; 63% of foreign workers on H-lB visas. The top 5 states of intended employment for these permanent labor certifications were California (11,835), New York (5,049), New Jersey (4,503), Texas (3,816), and Florida (2,709);

Alien beneficiaries representing 179 different countries were certified for permanent employment in the u.s. The top 10 countries of citizenship of alien beneficiaries included India (16,569), Mexico (3,444), China (3,328), South Korea (3,119), Philippines (2,995), Canada (2,539), United Kingdom (913), Pakistan (887), Taiwan (821), and Ecuador (811); and

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Ruben Navarrette Jr., writing for the San Diego Union Tribune, published an excellent editorial about the declining support for McCain from the Hispanic voters.

McCain’s following among Latinos is evaporating. A poll by Zogby International found that 21 percent of Latinos support McCain, compared with 70 percent for Democrat Barack Obama; the Pew Hispanic Center ranked it 23 percent McCain and 66 percent Obama.

Navarrette asked McCain what in the world is going on. He blamed part of it on “heavy negative advertising” by his opponent.

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According to Law.com Bianca Jagger and other foreign nationals who are in the United States on tourist visas (B2 Visas) cannot meet New York City’s “primary residence” requirement entitling them to rent-stabilized apartments, the New York Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

Jagger, a human rights activist and the first wife of Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger, has been fighting ejection from her $4,600-a-month Manhattan apartment for more than three years.

Read the story here