DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Archives - Page 25 of 29

27 04, 2006

CIS Continues to Shift Processing Sites

By Richard Hanus|2006-04-27T14:00:36-05:00April 27th, 2006|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

CIS Continues to Shift Processing Sites April 27, 2006 In the past year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has continued its initiative toward establishing centralized processing for various types of immigration applications and petitions. For all family based applicants seeking to adjust status in the U.S., filings are being accepted at a centralized PO Box in Chicago, and the documents are then forwarded to the National Benefits Center in Lees Summit, Missouri for initial processing, including receipt issuance. From there, files are eventually distributed to CIS local offices across the U.S., depending on the applicant’s state of residence, for further processing, […]

30 03, 2006

The Protests, The Debates

By Richard Hanus|2006-03-30T14:00:36-06:00March 30th, 2006|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

The Protests, The Debates March 30, 2006 Immigration talk is everywhere these days. Local news, national news, Yahoo.com, and perhaps even at dinner tables across America. And what about those big protests in Chicago, Detroit, L.A. and in other cities across the country? What is at stake? What is likely to happen? Truly, I cannot with any certainty answer that last question, although as I have chimed in previously in this column, I believe some sort of forgiving – “amnesty” type – legislation will sooner or later be enacted to absorb this country’s undocumented population (aka “illegal aliens”). Predicting such an […]

1 03, 2006

New Poverty Guidelines In Effect for 2006

By Richard Hanus|2006-03-01T14:00:36-06:00March 1st, 2006|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law|

New Poverty Guidelines In Effect for 2006 March 1, 2006 Before any intending family-based immigrant is issued their visa, or approved for adjustment of status, the petitioning U.S. family member or their joint co-sponsor will have to submit an I-864 Affidavit of Support and most of the time, satisfy certain income requirements (exceptions exist for those proving their financial health via assets owned, such as bank/brokerage accounts, real property, etc). The income requirements (125% of the poverty level) for sponsors residing in the lower 48 contiguous states in the U.S., effective April 1, 2006, are set forth below: 2006 Poverty Guidelines […]

15 02, 2006

Waiver of Adjustment of Status Interview Becoming More Common

By Richard Hanus|2006-02-15T14:00:36-06:00February 15th, 2006|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

Waiver of Adjustment of Status Interview Becoming More Common February 15, 2006 With the exception of marriage based filings, as of late the Citizenship and Immigration Service is more frequently approving, without interview, more categories of adjustment of status filings (for those undergoing permanent residence processing in the U.S.). The CIS policy of waiving the interview for “clean” cases was first implemented in recent years, but mainly for employment-based filings – where the basis of the application is a job offer. As of late, however, it appears this practice is becoming more common for family based filings where the family relationship […]

22 12, 2005

CIS Eases Affidavit of Support Requirements for Adjustment of Status Applicants

By Richard Hanus|2005-12-22T14:00:36-06:00December 22nd, 2005|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

CIS Eases Affidavit of Support Requirements for Adjustment of Status Applicants December 22, 2005 For applicants undergoing permanent residence processing within the U.S. (aka adjustment of status), the Affidavit of Support component just got easier. With the exception of employment based filings, all adjustment of status applicants are required to submit an I-864, Affidavit of Support executed by the their petitioning family member. If the petitioning family member’s income does not meet the minimum income guidelines, then a “joint sponsor” whose income is sufficient is eligible to present a supplementary I-864 in support of the applicant’s adjustment of status filing. The […]

1 11, 2005

What’s With All Those Biometrics Notices

By Richard Hanus|2005-11-01T14:00:36-06:00November 1st, 2005|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.|

What’s With All Those Biometrics Notices November 1, 2005 Applicants for permanent residence in the U.S. (adjustment of status) are receiving multiple notices to appear for biometric fingerprinting after submitting their applications. With new biometric technology being employed for the production of Alien Registration Cards (“green card”) and Employment Authorization Documents (“EAD”), applicants may find themselves being directed to appear on multiple occasions at their local Application Support Center to provide their fingerprints and signature, with separate appearances being required for the production of EAD’s and green cards. Some employment based adjustment of status applicants are even receiving biometric appointment notices […]

13 01, 2005

CIS Provides Guidance on H-1B Temporary Visas for Registered Nurses

By Richard Hanus|2005-01-13T14:00:36-06:00January 13th, 2005|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

CIS Provides Guidance on H-1B Temporary Visas for Registered Nurses January 13, 2005 The H-1B temporary work visa, when available, can be approved by U.S. immigration officials in a matter of days, and at a U.S. consular post abroad in a matter of a week or two, depending on the visa application volume handled by the post in question. So, why don’t more U.S. healthcare facilities take advantage of the H-1B visa option to fill registered nursing positions? The overriding reason: most basic RN positions are not an appropriate basis for H-1B visa petitions, although there do exist quite a few […]

30 09, 2004

H-1B Visas Already Running Out for 2005 & More on INFOPASS

By Richard Hanus|2004-09-30T14:00:36-05:00September 30th, 2004|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B|

H-1B Visas Already Running Out for 2005 & More on INFOPASS September 30, 2004 H-1B Visas Already Running Out for 2005 H-1B work visas, the work visa used mainly by foreign national university graduates to fill professional positions in the U.S., are starting to run out. For fiscal year 2005, commencing October 1, 2004 and running through September 30, 2005, 65,000 H-1B visas are available by way of congressional mandate. But, according to officials at Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) headquarters in Washington D.C. the allotment of H-1B visas could be exhausted by the end of October, 2004. So where […]

9 09, 2004

CIS Service Centers Implement Good Idea

By Richard Hanus|2004-09-09T14:00:36-05:00September 9th, 2004|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Family-Based Immigration Law, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, United States Embassies Abroad|

CIS Service Centers Implement Good Idea September 9, 2004 Over the past year or so, processing times for family based, I-130 immigrant petitions have skyrocketed. Of particular significance are the extended processing times for visa petitions in the “Immediate Relative” or “IR” category, where visas are immediately available and the main obstacle to visa processing are stateside CIS service center delays, delays that have stretched to as long as 2 years. In the past month, however, CIS headquarters has issued a directive instructing the four regional CIS service centers to give first priority to adjudicating I-130 petitions in the IR category […]

19 08, 2004

INFOPASS Set To Debut At CIS Chicago

By Richard Hanus|2004-08-19T14:00:36-05:00August 19th, 2004|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)|

INFOPASS Set To Debut At CIS Chicago August 19, 2004 For those seeking to avoid the long waits that typically accompany a visit to Chicago’s Citizenship and Immigration Service office, an online appointment reservation system will soon be available. Starting in mid-September, INFOPASS, will allow applicants seeking answers to their questions on pending immigration filings to arrange, online, a meeting with an immigration officer at CIS Chicago (located at 10 W. Jackson, Chicago) on a set date and time. The INFOPASS system, advertised as a secure internet site, is currently in use at many CIS local offices across the country, with […]

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