Immigration Law Facts and Issues - Articles by Richard Hanus - USA Visa Counsel.com » Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S.

How to Obtain an Employment Authorization Document

Admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:09:26 +0000

What is 2” x 3 ½ “, laminated, features a foreign national’s photo and is sought after by tens of millions in the U.S., and billions across the world? If it’s green, then it’s a Permanent Resident Card, or Green Card – allowing for, with a few exceptions, unrestricted and [...]

When The Marriage Goes Sour: Options for Pending Adjustment of Status Applicants in the U.S.

Admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:15:40 +0000

A foreign national is in the U.S. visiting, studying or working, (possibly even overstaying their visa) and he meets the person of his dreams, or so it seems. That person is a U.S. citizen and following marriage, the couple files “adjustment of status” paperwork to facilitate the foreign national’s resident [...]

Special Immigrant Religious Worker Law Extended Through September, 2012

Admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:42:44 +0000

Religious workers seeking to live and work in the U.S. have historically had generous visa options available for both temporary (nonimmigrant visa) and permanent (green card) stays in US. For temporary stays, the R-1 visa allows for entry for an initial term of three years, and is extendable for two [...]

20,000 H-1B Work Visas Continue to Be Available

Admin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:27:39 +0000

With the federal government’s new fiscal year starting on October 1, many in our business and foreign worker communities will be surprised to learn that 20,000 H-1B, temporary work visas continue to be available. In recent years, by the end of the first week of April (when petitions [...]

Expedited Processing Back On for I-140, Immigrant Petitions for Alien Workers; Visa Availability Still an Obstacle

Admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:03:19 +0000

Expedited processing, or “Premium Processing,” allows for processing of certain immigration petitions in 15 calendar days or less with the payment of an additional filing fee of $1000. In the past, Premium Processing had been available for most types of I-140 immigrant worker petitions, but eventually Citizenship and Immigration [...]

New Filing Instructions for Residents Seeking to Renew Resident Cards

Admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:46:25 +0000

US lawful permanent residents renewing their Permanent Resident Cards by way of direct mailing of Form I-90 (as opposed to online filing) should pay attention to two important changes.

Firstly, I-90 applicants are now instructed to file their supporting documentation when submitting their application, as opposed to only presenting it when [...]

Significantly Less Demand for H-1B Visas

Admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:31:30 +0000

In years past, the annual supply of 65,000 H-1B work visas was exhausted within the first week of availability. However, according to a news release issued last week by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Service, less than 33,000 petitions were received during this same period this [...]

UPDATE: The Truth about Foreign Nurses and US Immigration Law

Admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:00:10 +0000

As of this writing there truly is no speedy and simple way to facilitate the issuance of either immigrant or temporary work visas for Registered Nurses from most foreign nations (Canada and Mexico are the only exceptions). Knowing the truth about foreign nurses and US immigration law is critical, specifically [...]

Two-year Employment Authorization Documents to Be Issued to Certain Adjustment of Status Applicants

Admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Particular classes of immigrants are eligible to apply for employment authorization, including certain asylum applicants, persons in student status who will work in their field of training, and persons who have applied (with Form I-485) to adjust their status to that of a permanent resident.

Beginning at the end of this [...]

Applying for a Social Security Number

Richard Hanus — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:00:36 +0000

One of the requirements for legal employment in the United States is a valid Social Security Number (SSN) issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA). For most people born in the U.S., their parents take care of obtaining this number when providing information for the birth certificate. For those non-U.S. [...]