We are pleased to inform you that we will be opening a new office to better serve the immigration needs of The Carolinas. We will be open for business on April 13th. Our office is located within minutes from the Research Triangle Park. Our office will be equipped to offer both business and family immigration solutions.

The details are as follows:

Challa Immigration Law Offices, PLC

5105 Grace Park Drive

Morrisville, N.C. 27560

919-380-4044

Hold On to Your Seats! May Visa Bulletin May Show Advances for EB-2!

 Officials at the US Department of State have predicted that given a decrease in the demand for the EB-1 category, some unused EB-1 numbers may trickle down to the EB-2 category. This means that the priority dates for the EB-2 category may move forward significantly in the May visa bulletin.

What Does This Mean for You?

-      If you have an I-485 application pending, and if you fall into the EB-2 category, you do not need to do anything. Your application will automatically be processed by USCIS if your priority date becomes current.

-      If you have an approved EB-2 I-140 petition, but have not been able to submit the I-485 due to the visa retrogression, check the May 2011 visa bulletin, which should come out in mid-April. It is available at www.challalaw.com, under "processing times." If you see that the priority date is current, please contact Challa Law immediately to initiate your I-485 application preparation. Note that we will not be able to file the I-485 until May 1, but we can begin preparation ahead of time.

-      If your EB-2 I-140 petition is not yet approved, but your priority date will be current as of May, you can also start the I-485 preparation process.

-      If your labor certification is still pending with Department of Labor, you will need to wait for the labor certification to be approved before submitting the I-140 petition, and the I-485 if the priority date is current. However, the DOL is processing labor certifications at a record pace, so it may be approved quickly and possibly in time to file the I-140 and I-485 concurrently before the priority dates retrogress again.

-      If you have not started the permanent residence process and are interested in beginning the process, please contact an attorney at Challa Law Offices.

As a result of the recent disasters that have devastated Japan, USCIS has offered temporary relief measures for certain Japanese foreign nationals.

From USCIS:

In light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Japanese nationals of certain U.S. immigration benefits available upon request.

USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual's ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to eligible nationals of Japan may include:

·         The grant of an application for change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;

·         Re-parole of individuals granted parole by USCIS;

·         Extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests;

·         Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;

·         Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);

·         Expedited employment authorization where appropriate; and

·         Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration documents such as Green Cards. USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office.

Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program may visit a USCIS local office for assistance.

Japanese nationals who are at a U.S. airport may contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office there.

If you or you know someone that is impacted by these events, feel free to contact our office for assistance.

US Department of State has just announced that the U.S. Embassy in Cairo will resume visa services to the public on April 10, 2011. Vodaphone will contact non-immigrant visa applicants whose appointments were cancelled because of the suspension of visa operations to reschedule their appointments. Applicants may also reschedule a cancelled appointment by contacting Vodafone directly at 0900-70-600 from a landline or 2100 from a Vodafone cell phone.

All applicants who wish to schedule an appointment for the first time must follow the instructions on the Embassy's website at http://egypt.usembassy.gov.

Students, exchange visitors, and those with cancelled appointments will be given priority in scheduling. All applicants should understand that it will take time to clear the visa interview appointment backlog. Travelers should not purchase tickets or make other irrevocable commitments until they have received their visas. Should you require further assistance with visa processing in Egypt, please contact Challa Law Offices.