We are proud to announce our office has just been hired to handle the immigration filing for the world-renowned Israel Ballet to tour the USA in February 2010. - July 16, 2009
H-1B Cap STILL not met for this Year! - June 12, 2009
H-1B Cap still not met for this year - there is still time to file for this H-1B season, which would allow the foreign national to begin employment on October 1, 2009 - call 410-825-1790 for details!! Please see latest press release from USCIS.
July 2009 Visa Bulletin Now Available - June 10, 2009
Major natz. delay EAJA fee victory; Tenth Circuit - March 18, 2009
"The uncontroverted evidence that USCIS had the ability to direct the FBI to expedite Al-Maleki’s name check and USCIS’s admission that the name check was completed promptly once an expedition request was finally made, fatally undermine the Government’s assertion that it was unable to process Al-Maleki’s application because of the FBI backlog. Thus, USCIS’s prelitigation actions were not reasonable in fact. Because USCIS has not offered any other justification for its prelitigation actions, the district court’s conclusion that those actions were not substantially justified was not an abuse of discretion." Al-Maleki v. Holder, Mar. 18, 2009.
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
NSC Liaison Committee Practice Advisory on Interpretation of Posted EB-3 I-140 Processing Dates - January 17, 2009
The current processing time report for the Nebraska Service Center (as of September 30, 2008) indicate that they are processing I-140 (EB-3) petitions filed on or before August 2, 2007. However, the NSC Liaison Committee has learned from NSC that they are still processing cases filed from July 1, 2007 through August 2, 2007, and it will be a couple of months before the cases filed during the 2007 Visa Bulletin “window of opportunity” are fully in process.
Notwithstanding the posted processing dates, the liaison committee recommends continued patience for cases filed through August 17, 2007, and suggests that inquiries be withheld until the reported processing date for EB-3 I-140s reaches October 2007.
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
BIA: IJ must advise re biometrics - December 10, 2008
"It is a serious matter to deem applications for relief abandoned on technical grounds, particularly when the alien's statutory eligibility for such relief is uncontested, and therefore this Board will not approve such a drastic measure absent proof that the alien had actually received notice from the Immigration Judge of the consequences of failing to comply with the biometrics requirement. The transcript of the respondents' May 2, 2006, removal hearing reflects that the DHS counsel served the respondents with the fingerprint notice, but there is no specification by the Immigration Judge that the respondents were informed of the consequences of their failure to comply with the biometrics requirement (Tr. at 15). Under the circumstances, we conclude that the record does not reflect the existence of an adequate legal foundation for the Immigration Judge's decision deeming the respondents' applications for relief abandoned. Accordingly, the Immigration Judge's decision will be vacated and the record remanded to allow the respondents to apply for any form of relief for which they may be eligible." Matter of X-, unpublished, Nov. 24, 2008
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
Bush Expected to Add More Countries to Visa Waiver Program - October 16, 2008
"On Friday, Bush will make a statement on the visa waiver, the White House said, hinting that more countries would be added to the list of nations whose citizens don’t need visas to travel to the U.S. “The administration is close to finalizing decisions on the candidacies of several new countries to join the U.S. visa waiver program,” the White House said. “Tomorrow the president will give brief remarks about the progress made in expanding the VWP.” There are about a dozen countries seeking admission into the U.S. visa waiver program. The ones that appear to be closest to gaining access include Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Hungary, as well as South Korea." Wall Street Journal, Oct. 16, 2008.
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
TPS for El Salvadorans extended 18 months - September 25, 2008
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
Extension of the Designation of Sudan for Temporary Protected Status; Automatic Extension of Employment - August 14, 2008
Authorization Documentation for Sudanese TPS Beneficiaries
"This Notice announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security has extended the designation of Sudan for temporary protected status (TPS) for 18 months, from its current expiration date of November 2, 2008 through May 2, 2010." Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 158 / Thursday, August 14, 2008. Read more
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
First Circuit on EAJA, natz. delay, FBI name checks - August 8, 2008
"[T]he government's assertion that it was required to wait until Aronov's FBI name check was completed before finally adjudicating his naturalization application does not have "a reasonable basis in law and fact." Pierce, 487 U.S. at 566. Indeed, the government's attempt to invoke an administrative policy to trump an explicit statutory command turns Chevron deference on its head. See Stinson v. United States, 508 U.S. 36, 44, 113 S. Ct. 1913, 123 L. Ed. 2d 598 (1993)("Under Chevron, if a statute is unambiguous the statute governs."). In light of the 120-day statutory directive, the agency's long delay (over four times the statutory period), and the absence of any evidence that the government tried to expedite Aronov's application to comply with the statute, the government's conduct toward Aronov can only be classified as unreasonable and not substantially justified. ... Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in holding that the government's pre-litigation conduct was not substantially justified." Aronov v. Chertoff, Aug. 1, 2008.
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
H-1B FILING FIGURES ANNOUNCED - April 10, 2008
More than 163,000 H-1B petitions were filed by April 7. Out of that total, 31,200 were filed under the advanced-degree cap. After 20,000 are chosen out of the 31,200, the remaining 11,200 will join the random selection process for the cap-subject 65,000 limit. So the percentage cap-subject petitions filed that will be selected right now is about 45%. Read more
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
USCIS Issues Helpful Q & A re: OPT Extension - April 4, 2008
This USCIS communication has good information about the OPT process, the 17 month extension, procedures for
Foreign nationals on OPT and employers, and more. Read more
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
GREAT NEWS!!! USCIS extends OPT from 12 to 29 months for most F-1 non-immigrant students
and expands cap-gap relief for students with pending H-1B petitions. - April 8, 2008
The prayers of thousands of foreign national graduates working on OPT and their employers have been answered. On April 8, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security provided relief for these graduates who have completed a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree. As long as their employers enroll with USCIS E-Verify employment verification program, these F-1 graduates can extend their Optional Practical Training from 12 to 29 months!! Prior to today, these students and their employers worried that their employee might be lost due to bad luck in the H-1B lottery, or would have to endure the cost and expense of having to leave the USA after expiration of OPT before their H-1B would take effect on October 1. But no more!! The voices of employers who desperately need these skilled graduates have been heard. Read more
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
BREAKING NEWS: Changes to the H-1B regs regarding multiple filings, cap counting, etc. -
March 24, 2008
New regulation just published in the Federal Register will have a big impact on the next batch of H-1B visa petitions to be filed on April 1, 2008.
As always, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or
give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
USCIS has published a comprehensive summary of the various types of employment-based green cards. Please click on the link below to learn more. As always, we are here to help!! -
January 24, 2008
As always, Maryland Immigration Law Attorneys are here to help. Email us or give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
EXPERIENCING DELAYS IN YOUR CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION? -
EAJA Fee Award for Naturalization Mandamus
"The USCIS claims that it was unable to act on plaintiff's application sooner
because the FBI did not complete plaintiff's background check until September
2006. As to this argument, I refer to Judge Zobel's apt words: "It does not
matter whether blame for the delay is properly ascribed to the FBI or USCIS;
rather the delay renders the government's pre-litigation position not
'substantially justified.'" ... DEFENDANTS ARE ORDERED TO PAY plaintiff's
attorneys' fees and costs in the amount of Four Thousand, Two Hundred-Seventy
And 94/100 ($ 4,270.94) Dollars." Aronov v. Chertoff, Jan. 30, 2007.
The USCIS is REQUIRED to adjudicate N-400 applications within 120 of an applicant's
interview. If you have been waiting for a decision on your N-400, call us. We
can help you obtain the respect and fair treatment you deserve. As you can see
above, the Federal Judge ruled that the USCIS had to pay the attorney's fees. So the filing of a
mandamus action may not cost you a thing!
As always, Maryland Immigration Law Attorneys are here to help. Email us or give us a call at
(410) 825-1790!
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA APPLICANTS The Department of Labor has published sweeping changes to the labor
certification and PERM process. These new regulations become effective July 16,
2007. These changes include the prohibition of substituting beneficiaries, a new
requirement to file an I-140 within 180 days of the certification of a PERM
application, and others. It is critical for employers to be aware of these new
regulations to avoid delays or denials in the PERM applcaitions or I-140
petitions. We are here to help. Please email or give us a call!!
CHANGE OF ADDRESS CAN NOW BE DONE ONLINE
You can now change your address with USCIS online. Before using this online tool, you should have: (1)USCIS receipt number (if you have a case pending with USCIS); (2) New and old addresses; (3) Names and biographical information for any family members for whom you've filed; and (4) Date and location (port of entry) of your last entry into the United States.
Please note that all non-U.S. citizens are REQUIRED to report any change of address within 5 days of moving. Failure to do so can have grave consequences.
Click this link to change your address online. https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=coa. Once you do, we recommend that you print the screen to prove that you reported the change.
As always if you have any questions, Maryland Immigration Lawyers are here to help. Email us or give us a call at (410) 825-1790!
