Blog Topic

ICE Announces First-Ever Public Advocate
Posted by: euser
February 08, 2012

Posted by Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, Public Advocate & Senior Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Today, I am honored to be named U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s first-ever public advocate. As ICE continues to implement detention reforms and other enforcement-related initiatives, my staff and I will serve as a point of contact for individuals, including those in immigration proceedings, NGOs, and other community and advocacy groups, who have concerns, questions, recommendations or important issues they would like to raise.

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News Release: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Opens New Office in Queens
Posted by: euser
January 23, 2012

NEW YORK-U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today celebrated the official opening of its newest immigration field office in Queens, N.Y. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas and USCIS's New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo were joined by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (14th District, N.Y.), U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (7th District, N.Y.) and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Attachments:
NewsReleaseQueensOpening-1+20+12.pdf

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PRESS RELEASE ABOUT CHANGES TO THE RULES REGARDING THE 3 AND 10 YEAR BARS:
Posted by: euser
January 06, 2012

Washington D.C. - Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a proposal to streamline the application process for the spouses and children of U.S. citizens currently eligible for legal permanent resident status, minimizing the amount of time that applicants would have to be separated from their families. Under current procedures, thousands of persons who qualify for legal status must leave the U.S. to obtain their permanent resident status, but as soon as they leave, they are immediately barred from re-entering for 3 or 10 years if they have been unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 180 days. Many are eligible for a family unity waiver, but under current rules (not law), the waiver can only be applied for from overseas. Because that process can often take many months and even years, it is believed that many otherwise eligible applicants do not apply for legal permanent resident status, remaining unauthorized in the U.S. rather than risk lengthy separation from their families.

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CBP Statement on Approved Documents for Entry Into U.S.
Posted by: euser
January 06, 2012

Washington - The assertion that a traveler was admitted into the U.S. using solely a scanned image of his passport on an iPad is categorically false. In this case, the individual had both a driver's license and birth Certificate, which the CBP officer used to determine identity and citizenship in order to admit the traveler into the country.

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U.S. Department of State Expedites Student Visa Processing
Posted by: euser
December 13, 2011

During International Education Week, the U.S. Department of State highlights existing efforts to attract future leaders from abroad to take advantage of the exceptional educational opportunitites in the United States. We also recognize that foreign students bring with them tremendous intellectual, social, and economic bebefits. As part of these efforts, the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs gives student visa appointments special priority.

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DHS Issues Awaited Guidance on Prioritizing Deportations, Law Enforcement Letter Praises Approach
Posted by: euser
November 22, 2011

Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Principal Legal Advisor directed all ICE attorneys to begin a systematic review of immigration cases to determine whether pursuing deportation in each case is consistent with the Administration's enforcement priorities. This directive follows last summer's announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to review 300,000 immigration cases to assess whether they fall within the enforcement priorities and suspend those cases which do not. ICE also provided more detailed guidance to ICE attorneys regarding criteria for determining when it is appropriate to exercise prosecutorial discretion to close or dismiss a case.

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Enlace" Public Engagement: E-Verify "Know Your Rights: Employee Rights and Responsibilities
Posted by: euser
November 11, 2011

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 3:30PM (EST), the USCIS Office of Public Engagement invites customers and stakeholders to participate in "Enlace". This engagement is a free Spanish-language event where USCIS shares agency updates, a presentation focused on our E-Verify "Know Your Rights: Employee Rights and Responsibilities" campaign and provide an open forum segment to respond to questions from the public. A panel consisting of representatives from USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Department of Justice's Office of Special Counsel will facilitate the discussion.

View our informational video for more details about our next Enlace on e-Verify: Employee Rights

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USCIS Office of Public Engagement: EB-5 Draft Memo
Posted by: euser
November 11, 2011

Dear Stakeholder:

USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas invites stakeholders to review and comment on a draft policy memorandum on the EB-5 program. The draft memorandum has been attached for your convenience. It will be posted to the USCIS website shortly and can be viewed using the instructions below.

To review this memorandum and provide comments, please visit the Feedback Opportunities section of our website.

For complete information on the comment process, visit the Draft Memoranda for Comment section ofwww.uscis.gov. Please send all comments on the draft memorandum to opefeedback@uscis.dhs.gov.

NOTE: If you are unable to access the memorandum through the link provided above, please do the following:

1. Go to www.uscis.gov

2. Select the "Outreach" tab at the top of the page

3. Select "feedback opportunities" on the left side of the page

4. Select "Draft Memoranda for Comment" on the left side of the page

Kind regards,

Office of Public Engagement

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

http://www.uscis.gov/outreach

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USCIS Office of Public Engagement: Final Policy Memorandum for NTAs
Posted by: euser
November 11, 2011

Dear Stakeholder-

USCIS has posted the following policy memorandum to the website:

Revised Guidance for the Referral of Cases and Issuance of Notices to Appear (NTAs) in Cases Involving Inadmissible and Removable Aliens

This guidance is effective immediately. While it is generally our policy to issue guidance memoranda in draft for public comment, this guidance falls under the exception for law enforcement-related subject matter and will not be posted for public comment.

Attachments:
NTA_PM_(Approved_as_final_11-7-11).pdf

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EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Engagement
Posted by: euser
November 07, 2011

USCIS Director Mayorkas and the Office of Public Engagement invite you to participate in a teleconference on Wednesday, November 9 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm (EST) to discuss new USCIS policy guidance on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. This guidance will be available at www.uscis.gov/outreach for stakeholder review and comment shortly. If you wish to participate, please respond to this invitation by contacting the Office of Public Engagement at public.engagement@dhs.gov and reference"EB-5 Teleconference" in the subject line of your email. Please also include your full name and the organization you represent, if any, in the body of the email. On the day of the teleconference, please use the information below to join the engagement:
Call-in number: (888) 810-9647
Passcode: EB-5

Attachments:
EB-5TeleconferenceInvitation(11-9-11).pdf

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Filing tips for bundling L-1 petitions
Posted by: euser
November 07, 2011

Dear Stakeholder-

In today's global economy, USCIS recognizes that businesses often need to temporarily move multiple employees to the United States for particular projects which draw upon their specialized knowledge. In order to do this, employers may petition for their employees to obtain an L-1 nonimmigrant classification by filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. While each L-1 petition must be considered on its own merits, grouping such petitions together may streamline and improve the adjudication process.

Please see the attached document for more information and filing tips on bundling L-1 petitions.

Attachments:
BundledFilingofL-1Petitions.pdf

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Testimony of Secretary Janet Napolitano before the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.
Posted by: euser
November 03, 2011

Release Date: October 26, 2011 - Rayburn House Office Building

Introduction

Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Conyers, and members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to secure our Nation from the many threats we face.

This committee continues to play a critical role in helping the Department in our security mission, and I am grateful for the chance to update you on the progress we are making. The Department has six mission areas:

Preventing terrorism and enhancing security;

- Securing and managing our borders;

- Enforcing and administering our immigration laws;

- Safeguarding and securing cyberspace;

- Ensuring resilience to disasters; and

- Providing essential support to national and economic security.

In each area, we have continued to grow and mature as a department by strengthening our existing capabilities, building new ones where necessary, enhancing our partnerships across all levels of government and with the private sector, and streamlining our operations and increasing efficiency.

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Throughout the past year, USCIS has placed significant focus on advancing one of our immigration system?s foundational goals:
Posted by: euser
October 25, 2011

Dear USCIS Stakeholders,

Throughout the past year, USCIS has placed significant focus on advancing one of our immigration system's foundational goals: promoting America's economic prosperity. On numerous occasions, we gathered feedback on how to best maximize the potential of current immigration law to create jobs for U.S. workers, and this feedback greatly informed our actions. As a result, we have made significant progress in a number of areas of interest to stakeholders related to employment-based and high-skilled immigration. For example:

Adjudication of Petitions filed by Businesses Requesting L Intracompany Transferees

On October 12, 2011, USCIS conducted a specialized training session for adjudicators on the L-1B classification to reinforce the principles set forth in existing L-1B policy guidance. We will continue this training.

USCIS is revising Request for Evidence (RFE) templates for nonimmigrant employment-based categories, including the L intracompany transferee classification. Our RFE practices continue to be an area of intense review and reform.

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VLOG - Immigration and Nationality Law - David H. Nachman, Esq. Mitchell Ignatoff, Esq. and Michael Phulwani, Esq.
Posted by: euser
October 25, 2011

Immigration and criminal law are two completely separate areas of law that are occasionally intertwined. Unfortunately for many immigrants, the potential immigration implications of a criminal conviction are often overlooked. A seemingly minor criminal offense can have devastating immigration implications. As a result, it is extremely important to be aware of any immigration implications when pleading to a criminal matter, or facing potential criminal penalties. In these segments, David Nachman, Esq. and Michael Phulwani, Esq. and Mitchell Ignatoff, Esq. discuss some of the immigration implications of a criminal convictions for nonimmigrants, green card holders and naturalization. In some cases, waivers may be available.

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David H. Nachman, Esq. TO SPEAK AT GARDEN STATE COUNCIL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SHRM) 20th ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO ON TUESDAY IN ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY
Posted by: euser
September 19, 2011

David H. Nachman, Esq., the Managing Attorney at the NPZ Law Group (f/k/a Nachman & Associates, P.C.) (VISASERVE), a prominent National Immigration and Nationality Law office located in Ridgewood, New Jersey, will deliver a session entitled "E-VERIFY: Prospects for Nationalization" at the 20th Annual Garden State Council Society for Human Resource Management (GSC SHRM) Conference and Expo scheduled for October 23rd through October 25th, 2011 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Mr. Nachman is the Vice Chair of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) and an Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at FDU.

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Best Lawyer in America
Posted by: euser
September 07, 2011

PRESS RELEASE - Ridgewood, NJ September 5^th 2011 - David H. Nachman, Esq., the Managing Attorney at Nachman & Associates, P.C. (VISASERVE), was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^? in the practice area of Immigration Law. For nearly three decades, Best Lawyers has been regarded - by both the profession and the public - as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey (comprising more than 3.9 million confidential evaluations by top attorneys) and because no fee or purchase is required to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is rightly considered a singular honor.

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Encouraging Entrepreneurs and High Skilled Workers to Bolster the U.S. Economy and Spur Job Growth
Posted by: euser
August 16, 2011

The United States has a long, rich history of welcoming innovative entrepreneurs and skilled workers into our country. These men and women fuel our nation's economy by creating jobs, and promoting new technologies and ideas. Today, I joined Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and outlined a series of new policy, operational, and outreach efforts that will help fuel the nation's economy and stimulate investment by making it easier for high-skill immigrants to start and grow companies and create jobs here in the United States

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Public Affair and Immigration (David H. Nachman/Michael Phulwani)
Posted by: euser
August 09, 2011

On TV ASIA, U.S. Immigration Attorneys David Nachman & Michael Phulwani discuss various U.S. Immigration Law Updates:

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Secretary Napolitano Announces Initiatives to Promote Startup Enterprises and Spur Job Creation
Posted by: euser
August 04, 2011

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas today outlined a series of policy, operational, and outreach efforts to fuel the nation's economy and stimulate investment by attracting foreign entrepreneurial talent of exceptional ability or who otherwise can create jobs, form startup companies, and invest capital in areas of high unemployment.

"The United States must continue to attract the best and brightest from around the world to invest their talents, skills, and ideas to grow our economy and create American jobs," said Secretary Napolitano. "Today's announcements will help our nation fully realize the potential of existing immigration laws."

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Reminder: Certain Fees May Not Be Collected From H-2A and H-2B Workers
Posted by: euser
August 04, 2011

As the traditional harvest season approaches, USCIS reminds petitioners that certain fees may not be collected from H-2A and H-2B workers, according to 8 C.F.R. ? 214.2(h)(5)(xi)(A) and ? 214.2(h)(6)(i)(B). We realize that delays in adjudicating these petitions may affect employers' ability to place workers in time-sensitive jobs. To avoid delays, USCIS urges petitioners to submit sufficient information regarding their recruitment efforts and the nature of fees collected from H-2A and H-2B workers. We also recommend petitioners refer to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines on employers' obligation to avoid passing costs to H-2A workers.

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