The Dream Act is a bill that has been introduced several times in the United States Congress that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant students.
ILW.com the leading immigration online news source reported the following, and you can see why we need this act to pass ASAP.
The “Save Juan” campaign, http://actonadream.net/
We have learned from AILA member Jan Peterson that the following might happen once the October Visa Bulletin will be published:
The priority date information listed is to be taken as educated predictions, not carved in stone. Expect the following: 1. Worldwide, other than India and China, EB1, EB2, EB4 and EB5 immigrant visa categories will be current as of October 1, 2007. It may be necessary to retrogress them later in 2007 or 2008. 2. EB1 for India and China will likely be current in October, 2007. 3. EB2 for India and China will likely have a cut-off date in October 2007 close to the cut-off dates for January 2007, which were: India – January 8, 2003; China -April 22, 2005. 4.
EB3 cut-off dates for October 2007 also will likely have a cut-off date close to the cut-off dates for January 2007, which were: Worldwide (other than India and China) -August 1, 2002; India -May 8, 2001; China – April 22, 2005. Please note that these are predictions subject to change depending on the number of cases approved by USCIS during the next two months.
From time to time clients contact me trying to determine if they still qualify for a visa, despite some criminal activity in the past. ” I was young and stupid and now I will be paying for this”.
I learned recently that the Department of State is implementing a new policy with respect to immigrant visa (IV) and non-immigrant visa (NIV) applicants with a history of arrests or convictions for drunk driving.
Consular officers will now refer certain IV / NIV applicants with prior drunk driving arrests or convictions to panel physicians to evaluate whether the applicants are inadmissible to the U.S. under the physical or mental disorder ground of inadmissibility. See INA § 212 (a) (1) (A) (iii). Under this law, any foreign citizen is inadmissible to the U.S. if he or she has or has had a physical or mental disorder that poses a threat to others.
For those of you that listen to NPR here is an interesting story. It was recently reported by National Public Radio that: “This week, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a tough immigration law, penalizing companies that knowingly employ illegal workers. The law goes into effect in January 2008. Napolitano, who expresses frustration that Congress failed to pass national immigration legislation, talks with Madeleine Brand.”
Click here to listen
According to ilw.com the biggest immigration law publisher online, USCIS’s immigration forms page [last visited 07/31/07, 3pm ET]
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD
states that Form I-129F Fiancee Petition and Form I-290B Notice of Appeal require the new 7/30/07 version and that all previous versions will be not accepted (the I-765 Form now states that previous editions are accepted).
We were really busy this past week trying to get our cases filed before the July 30th deadline. It’s funny that as the dead line was approaching last minute filers were calling our office and seeking last minute service. We took cases all through Thursday and were able to file the last cases by Friday night.
As were were rushing to file cases before the deadline, the big mystery was as to the correct deadline. Some lawyers were reading the rule as filed by Friday the 27th or pay the higher fees, others were reading the rule as postmarked. But what about private courier like Fedex, they do not postmark?
The answer came on Friday the 27th with a quick press release by USCIS, among other questions, the following was stated:
USCIS issued today Q & A memo about the adjustment filing procedures in the next 30 days or so under the July visa Bulletin.
All Labor Certification exempt applicants (Nurses, NIW’s etc.) must file I-140’S by the end of the week. All other cases can do so by August 17, 2007 as per USCIS memo.
Those with priority dates after August 1st are not going to be able to file under the July Visa Bulletin if they try and file between August 1st and August 16th. Those with labor certifications certified after August 1st will be able to file, however, since the priority date was established earlier.
We are getting ready for numerous filings this month so be patient with the email responses…..
In the past few weeks the Visa Bulletin mess was all over the news. I was featured on Channel 10 news in a detailed report about one of our clients, and how this problem is destroying his future in this country. We had various reporters call us for interviews. The media frenzy and the attention worked….
After the relief announced by USCIS and DHS with regards to the July visa bulletin, it is now time to thank all those who have made this relief possible and made it possible for applicants to go to the next step in the legal permanent residency process. Organizations like Immigration Voice and others that worked hard to bring out the problems that the visa delays cause immigrants that are trying to go through the process legally.
We now know that you have the power
Business week reports that Congressional leaders have begun to discuss legislation that would sharply increase the number of high-skilled foreign workers who could become permanent U. S. residents in the next few years.
News of a resolution to Visa Bulletin mess has been floating since last week. However, no press release has yet been issued by USCIS. That is until a few hours ago….
So this is what happened today. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued the August 2007 Visa Bulletin late in the afternoon of July 17, 2007, showing “unavailability” in all the employment-based (EB) categories. The DOS also confirmed that they are withdrawing the July 2, 2007 revised Visa Bulletin, so that the original July 2007 Visa Bulletin stands. This means that any employment-based applicants and their family members must file the I-485 under the July 2007 Visa Bulletin, since there are no more visa numbers in the EB category available from August 1st onwards, for the rest of this fiscal year until at least Sep 30, 2007.
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