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ARE WE OFF TO THE RACES? President Obama's Remarks Following June 25 Meeting on Immigration Reform with Congressional Leaders.
The White House released President Obama's
remarks following a meeting on June 25th, 2009
with congressional leaders to discuss
immigration reform, in which he expresses the
Administration's support for CIR. He also
notes that CIS will soon be implementing
some technology initiatives, including
changes to its website.
President Obama remarked "there is not by
any means consensus across the table. As you
can see, we've got a pretty diverse spectrum
of folks here. But what I'm encouraged by is
that after all the overheated rhetoric and
the occasional demagoguery on all sides
around this issue, we've got a responsible
set of leaders sitting around the table who
want to actively get something done and not
put it off until a year, two years, three
years, five years from now, but to start
working on this thing right now."
As usual, we shall endeavor to keep our
readers
posted as more information about Comprehensive
Immigration Reform becomes available.
Click Here to Read More . . .
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Dear Readers:
Is it a false start (again) or are we really
off to the
races? Senator Schumer seems to have announced
the starting point of this year's immigration
reform
debate. In an article in the Washington Post,
Senator
Schumer has outlined what he sees as the
template
for immigration reform. Spencer Hsu, of
Washington
Post reports that Schumer sees immigration
reform:
"requiring that an estimated 12 million
illegal immigrants register with the
government and "submit to a rigorous process
to convert to legal status" or face immediate
deportation. [The][l]egislation must also
create mechanisms to attract high-skilled
immigrants, control the flow of low-skilled
immigrants and protect native-born workers."
Senator Schumer is calling for a National
ID card (something to displease everyone):
"Schumer's proposal for a national
'biometric' identification system to verify
work documents -- based on fingerprints, iris
scans or digital photographs -- stems from a
key weakness of past immigration overhaul
efforts . . . " and omits a temporary worker
visa program.
These issues were key points for the
overall package of immigration reform that
were discussed in a meeting at the White
House between President Obama and numerous key
Senators and Congressman the other day.
We will continue to keep our readership
apprised of
any new developments in the immigration reform
arena. For more information, please feel free
to e-mail
us at info@visaserve.co
m.
You can also call us at 201-
670-0006 (x107).
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| JUST IN A NICK OF TIME: CIS Issues Guidance on Employment Eligibility Verification Form. |
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CIS announced today that the Employment
Eligibility Verification Form I-9 (Rev.
02/02/09) currently
on the CIS Website will continue to be valid
for use
beyond June 30th, 2009, while a request for
extension
is pending with the OMB.
CIS will update Form I-9 when the
extension is
approved. Employers will be able to use
either the
Form I-9 with the new revision date or the
Form I-9
with the February 2nd, 2009 revision date at the
bottom of the form.
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Click Here for More Information . . . |
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| YOU BET . . . THERE ARE STILL H-1B VISAS AVAILABLE: CIS Updates FY 2010 H-1B Count (Updated 6/30/09). |
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As of June 26th, 2009, approximately 44,800
H-1B cap-subject petitions had been received
by the CIS and counted towards the H-1B cap.
Approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for
the advanced degree cap exemption had been
filed. CIS will continue to accept both
cap-subject
petitions and advanced degree petitions until a
sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been
received to reach the statutory limits.
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Click Here to Read More . . . |
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| HIV INADMISSIBILITY: Advance Copy of CDC Proposed Rule to Remove HIV from List of Diseases that Render a Foreign National Inadmissible. |
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Attached is an advance copy of a CDC proposed
rule to amend the definition of "communicable
disease of public health significance" to
remove references to HIV. As a result of the
proposed regulatory changes, one would no
longer be inadmissible into the U.S. based
solely on the ground of HIV infection.
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Click Here to Read More . . . |
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| THE FASTER THE BETTER: CIS Announces Resumption of Premium Processing Service for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. |
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CIS announced today that effective on June 29th,
2009, it will resume Premium Processing
Service in connection with Form I-140, Immigrant
Petition for Alien Worker, in accordance with
8 CFR
103.2(f)(2).
After an evaluation of its I-140 backlog
reduction
efforts and increased I-140 adjudicative
efficiencies,
the CIS has concluded that it is now able to
provide
Premium Process Service for this benefit.
CIS will accept Premium Processing
requests for Form I-140 Immigrant Petition
for Alien Worker, involving EB-1 Aliens with
Extraordinary Ability, EB-1 Outstanding
Professors and Researchers, EB-2 Members of
Professions with Advanced Degrees or
Exceptional Ability not seeking a National
Interest Waiver, EB-3 Professionals, EB-3
Skilled Workers, and EB-3 Workers other than
Skilled Workers and Professionals.
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Click Here for More Information . . . |
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| E-VERIFY BY THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS: CIS Comment Request on E-Verify Program Designated Agent Process. |
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CIS seeks public comment on the E-Verify
Program Designated Agent Process under which
a participating employer may choose to
outsource submission of employment
eligibility verification queries for newly
hired employees to a Designated Agent.
Comments on this regulation are due on or before
August 24th, 2009.
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Click Here to Read More or to Provide a Comment . . . |
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| SIMULTANEOUS AOS: CIS Releases Notice to Pending I-360 Applicants Regarding Adjustment and EAD Filings. |
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CIS is circulating a notice of the order
issued by the
United States District Court for the Western
District of
Washington in Ruiz-Diaz v. U.S. (W.D. Wash.,
6/11/09)
regarding adjustment and EAD filings for
beneficiaries
of pending petitions for special immigrant
religious
worker visas (Form I-360).
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Click Here for More Information . . . |
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| FILING FEES: Aytes Memo Responds to CIS Ombudsman's Recommendation on Payment Methods for USCIS Filing Fees. |
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In a June 3rd, 2009 Memo, Michael Aytes, Acting
Deputy Director of the CIS, responds to the CIS
Ombudsman's Recommendation (41) regarding
payment methods for CIS filing fees and other
costs.
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Click Here for to Read More . . . |
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| BACKLOG ELIMINATION: CIS and FBI Announce Milestone Elimination of National Name Check Backlog. |
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CIS announced on June 22nd, 2009 that, in
partnership with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation
(FBI), it has met all milestones set forth in
a joint
business plan announced April 2, 2008,
resulting in
the elimination of the FBI National Name Check
Program (NNCP) backlog.
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Click Here for More Information . . . |
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| Nachman & Associates Adds Removal and Deportation Services for Select Clients. |
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The formal "removal" of an alien from the United
States when the alien has been found
removable for violating the immigration laws.
Deportation is ordered by an immigration
judge without any punishment being imposed or
contemplated. Prior to April 1997 deportation
and exclusion were separate removal
procedures. The Illegal Immigration Reform
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
consolidated these procedures. After April 1st,
1997, aliens in and admitted to the United
States may be subject to removal based on
deportability. Now called Removal, this
function is managed by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
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Click Here for More Info about Removal and Deportation . . . |
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