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Check it for Immigration Updates |
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Greetings!
Welcome back to Badmus Law Firm's Quarterly Newsletter! This newsletter is geared towards providing the latest in immigration updates and news covering wide-ranging immigration issues.
If you have a general immigration question you would like answered, please contact us and indicate whether we can use your question and our response for an upcoming newsletter. Of course, if your question is more specific, it may be better to schedule an individual consultation with our office.
As always, please be sure to periodically check our immigration blog for the latest immigration developments.
Sincerely,
Michelle Richart
Editor in Chief
Badmus Law Firm |
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Happy New Year!
Those of us at Badmus Law Firm want to wish each of you very happy and prosperous 2009!
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Take the Badmus Service Survey
The Badmus Team strives to provide you with extraordinary service and your input is vital to our success. In 2008, our service satisfaction rate was 94%. We are looking forward to an even higher rate in 2009. Please help us serve you and others better by taking a few minutes to answer our service survey. The survey should take about five minutes to complete and as a thank you for your participation, your name will be entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card! Just click below to start the survey:
Badmus service survey
Happy New Year from your friends at Badmus Law Firm!
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Settlement Opens Amnesty Doors for Tens of Thousands of Immigrants
In September, a U.S. district court in Washington State approved a settlement between USCIS and a group of immigrants which opened the door for amnesty for tens of thousands of individuals. The 1986 amnesty laws required that individuals prove that they were not in lawful status at the time that they applied for amnesty. The September settlement applies specifically to individuals who entered the United States on a valid visa, but fell out of status between 1982 and 1988.
Specifically, the 1986 amnesty provisions required those who entered the U.S. on a valid visa, but fell out of status, prove that the U.S. government knew that they were out of status at the time in which they applied. This created a huge burden of proof for most immigrants.
This settlement addresses two specific instances where it is presumed that the government knew that an individual was out of status in two instances:
· If an individual was on a student visa, but dropped out of school, the school was legally required to inform the government of the student's unlawful status. However, many schools cannot prove that they informed the government. The settlement states that even if the school cannot later prove that they informed the government, it is presumed that they did and, therefore, the government was informed of the student's unlawful status.
· If an individual did not provide the government with an address report every three months as required by law. If the government cannot produce the documents showing the address updates, then it is presumed that the individual did not provide the address update and, thus, fell out of lawful status.
It is important to note that this settlement offers a limited, one-year time period for those eligible to file for amnesty. USCIS will begin accepting applications starting February 1, 2009, and individuals have until January 31, 2010, to file.
If you or someone you know qualifies for this program, please contact our office immediately at 469-916-7900 for assistance in this process. |
 Check your USCIS FOIA Requests Online
Do you have a pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services? If so, then USCIS now allows individuals to check the status of their requests online. If you have the control number you can enter it here to get the status of the request.
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 Visa Waiver and ESTA Programs Expanded
On October 17, 2008, President Bush expanded the Visa Waiver Program to now include the countries of Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, the Slovak Republic, and Malta. The Department of State anticipates that this program should go into effect soon.
Additionally, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program is a new automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. Applications for the ESTA program may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and VWP travelers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States. The State Department also anticipates that ESTA will become mandatory on January 12, 2009. To read more about ESTA, click here.
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Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to be New Secretary of Homeland Security
President-elect Obama has designated current Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano, to be the new secretary to the Department of Homeland Security. It is anticipated that she will assume her new role in early-2009. As the first democratic secretary to the Department of Homeland Security and as the governor of a border state there is quite a bit of speculation as to what her policies will be and what changes she will bring to the department. We will all have to wait and see. Stay Tuned!
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Man Receives 5 Years in Prison for Selling Fake "Tribal" Documents
On December 12, 2008, Kansas man, Malcom Webber, was sentenced for fraudulently selling approximately 12,000 "tribal memberships" and claiming that he was part of an American Indian group called Kaweah Indian Nation whose purchased membership would grant U.S. citizenship. Mr. Webber goes by Grand Chief Thunderbird IV. After serving prison time Webber will have seven years of probation. While other individuals were convicted, Webber is the only one who will serve prison time.
In 1984, the Bureau of Indian Affairs declared that the Kaweah Indian Nation had no historical link to American Indian Tribes. They also declared that Webber was not a native.
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Stay tuned! Our next Quarterly Newsletter will be sent in early April. Until then, have a great 2009!
Sincerely,
Michelle Richart
Editor in Chief
Badmus Law Firm | |
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| NOTE: Immigration law changes frequently. The resources and information provided in this newsletter are intended to help you understand basic issues involved in the immigration process, and are offered only for general informational and educational purposes. This information is not offered as, nor does it constitute legal advice or legal opinions. Although we strive to keep this information current, we neither promise nor guarantee that the information is the latest available, or that it applies to your specific situation. You should not act or rely upon the information in these pages without seeking the advice of an attorney. To consult with Badmus Law Firm regarding your case, please click here. | |
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