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House to take up bill adding more visas for Afghan immigrants.

Posted on August 18, 2021 by sethlerner1964

A bill to authorize an additional 8,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan interpreters, contractors and other vulnerable allies was scheduled for House consideration on Thursday. The measure would open up the extra slots in a visa program designed to provide a safe haven for Afghan allies at risk of persecution or death if they remain in Afghanistan as the U.S. military completes its withdrawal from the country. Around 20,000 Afghans and their families are in line for the program, which has a total of 26,500 authorized slots. The State Department said around 750 SIV applicants will soon be evacuated to the U.S. and complete their processing at Fort Lee.

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1028780816/transcript-taliban-spokesman-suhail-shaheen-interview

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Filed under: U.S. Refugee Resettlement Assistance, USCIS, Visa, Visa Petition, visa processing | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

USCIS issued policy guidance making it easier for immigrants who came to the U.S. under conditional visas to attain a new visa.

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

When immigrants get green cards through marriage, they are first conditional, and when enough time is passed they must apply to remove the conditions. However, in many cases this does not happen, either because of divorce or other reasons. In these cases, because the conditions were not removed and because a judge has not officially terminated their conditional status, immigrants were stuck in a limbo and functionally undocumented. USCIS has just issued policy guidance that says that “an immigration judge does not need to affirm the termination of [Conditional Permanent Resident] status” before immigrants can file a new adjustment of status application. Because this applies to all conditional permanent residents, this applies to immigrants in the U.S. under the EB-5 investor visa as well.

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New Employment Based Visas and Priority Dates

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

In the January “check-in,” Charlie Oppenheim, DOS Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, comments on the February 2015 Visa Bulletin and reports that with the possibility of executive action occupying significant USCIS resources later this year, the State Department will likely advance priority dates much earlier in the year than it has previously to ensure that the agencies can exhaust the annual allocation.

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What happens when a petitioner died but the visa has been approved?

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

what happens when a petitioner died but the visa has been approved? – Avvo.com http://ping.fm/UYIwf

Immigrant visa petition

Visa petition process

U Visa application

Visas – Questions and answers

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What kind of visa do I need to apply?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

What kind of visa do i need to apply for to stay in the usa for 6 months(visiting friends and relatives)? – Yahoo! Answers http://ping.fm/TOJ0b

Visas

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Visa, questions and answers

Visas: everything you need to know

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What visa do I need?

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

I am travelling to USA and need a visa MORE than 90 days for a tourist, what visa do i need? – Immigration – Avvo.com http://ping.fm/ul4kF

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The Visa with Multiple Faces

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

Question: I have tried to come to the United States on different types of visas, but have been denied at each turn. I cannot get a Visitor Visa and do not qualify for an H-1B work visa. I have also been denied the Student Visa. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: The J Visa is very versatile. One can come in on the J Visa for many types of purposes. For example, the J Visa is available for students, professors and research scholars, short-term scholars, trainees, specialists, foreign medical graduates, international and government visitors, teachers, camp counselors and au pairs.

Question: Can you explain in some more detail what is involved with these categories?

Answer: For the students, a J is available for persons going to colleges that have been approved with a J Program. Students under certain conditions are allowed to work.

A trainee is one of the more popular uses of the J Visa. A trainee as an individual participating in a structured training program conducted by the selecting sponsor. The primary purpose of the trainee category is to enhance the exchange visitor’s skills in his or her specialty or non-specialty occupation through participation in a structured training program and to improve the participant’s knowledge of American techniques, methodologies, or expertise. The following areas are available for issuance of the J-1 Visa. Arts and culture; information media and communications; education, social sciences; library science, counseling and social services; management, business, commerce and finance; health-related occupations; aviation; the sciences, engineering, architecture, mathematics, and industrial occupations; construction and building trades; agriculture, forestry and fishing; public administration and law; and various other occupations as specified by the sponsor.

A J-1 specialist is defined as an individual who is an expert in a field of specialized knowledge or skill coming to the United States for observing, consulting, or demonstrating special skills. This category does not include professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, or foreign physicians in training programs. This type of J-1 can by used in lieu of the H-1B.

The au pair program permits foreign nationals to enter the United States for up to one year to live with a U.S. host family and participate directly in the home life of the family while providing limited child care services and attending a U.S. post-secondary educational institution.

Professors and research scholars may be sponsored as J-1 exchange visitors to engage in research, teaching, lecturing, observing, or consulting at research facilities, museums, libraries, post-secondary accredited educational institutions, or similar institutions.

Foreign medical graduates sponsored by accredited academic institutions with designated exchange visitor programs may come to the United States as exchange visitors for the purposes of observation, consultation, teaching, or research.

Teachers may be sponsored as exchange visitors to teach full-time at accredited primary or secondary educational institutions.

Secondary school students may come to the United States as J exchange visitors for up to one year to study at a U.S. public or private secondary school, while living with a U.S. host family or at an accredited U.S. boarding school.150 Participants must pursue a full course of study at an accredited educational institution for at least one and not more than two academic semesters.

A camp counselor is an individual selected to be a counselor in a summer camp in the United States who imparts skills to American campers and information about his or her country or culture. Participation in camp counselor exchange programs is limited to foreign nationals who are at least 18 years old and are bona fide youth workers, students, teachers, or individuals with special skills.

The summer/student travel work program is a program that authorizes foreign university students to travel and work in the United States during their summer vacations to involve the students directly in daily life in this country through temporary employment opportunities.

As you can see, the J Visa offers many options. While there may be a two-year foreign residency requirement, many times this type of visa offers the only hope for getting into the U.S.

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Immigration Article: Special Registration. What is it?

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

Question: I have heard that there is some kind of law out that requires some people from certain countries to register with the INS. Who does this affect and what does it mean?

 Answer: You are correct. There is a new procedure referred to as Special Registration. The deadline, if you are a national of one of the designated countries is January 10, 2003. This Notice requires certain nonimmigrant aliens to appear before, register with, and provide requested information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service on or before January 10, 2003. It applies to certain nonimmigrant aliens from one of the countries designated in this Notice who was last admitted to the United States on or before September 30, 2002, and who will remain in the United States until at least January 10, 2003.

 The countries originally specified were Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. Just recently, the following countries were added to this list of seven. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen who are males between the ages of 16 and 45. Finally, the following 13 countries have been added: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Question: What if one of my friends is a Lawful Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen from one of those countries? Must he also register?

Answer: No. This is only meant for persons who are on temporary visas in the U.S.

Question: What exactly must be done if a person is from one of the above listed countries to comply with the special registration requirement?

Answer: Registrants must register at the designated INS district office 30 days after they enter the United States and re-register annually. Of course, if they have not yet registered, they must go the INS district office before January 10, 2003. If a registered foreign national leaves the United States for either business or pleasure, he or she must notify the INS of all plans for departure, and depart through one of eighteen pre-approved airports or one of fifty approved land or seaports. This means that they cannot simply leave the U.S. without notifying the INS. Failure to notify the INS of a departure could render a foreign national inadmissible upon return to the United States. These people will be fingerprinted, questioned and photographed.

 They must re-register within 10 days of each anniversary. A willful failure to comply with these requirements renders the person deportable from the United States.

Question: When do all these provisions go into effect and does it take some rights away from these people?

Answer: Immediately. As we can see, the U.S. government is becoming more of a ‘big brother’ type government. As with anyone, I would do anything to prevent another terrorist attack. However, I do believe that some constitutional rights are going to be infringed on these people whom have nothing to do with terrorism. The scary part is when these registration requirements spill over onto the general population. We must fight for our constitutional rights and be careful of a government that takes liberties and rights away in the name of national security.

Filed under: Immigration Law, immigration provisions, Nonimmigrant Visa, USCIS, Visa | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Immigration Article: To Extend or Not to Extend?

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

Question: I entered the United States on a Visitor Visa. I have been here for about 4 months and my status will expire in another two months. Can I simply extend my status without going back to my home country?

 Answer: Prior to September 11, 2001, it would not have been a problem. These types of extensions were quite easy and were usually approved without any problems. However, after September 11, 2001, new regulations have come out regarding the B1/B2 Visitor Visa. These regulations first were issued to make it clear that persons entering the United States do not automatically get a Visitor Visa for six months. Rather, they could get the Visitor Visa for only a month, or the time required for the stay in the United States. Thus, you might have been able to get a Visitor Visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for six months, but when you entered the United States, the Immigration and Naturalization Service might have only given you a lawful stay of 30 days.

This has had the effect of decreasing the number of people who visit the United States. Realistically, when you are traveling from around the world or some distant country, it was not worth the risk for people to stay only a month (especially if this was a once or twice in lifetime type of vacation.) Also, the uncertainty of being issued a Visitor Visa at the Consulate for a certain period of time, only to have it reduced significantly at the border did not bode well with travelers.

 Now, the Immigration and the Naturalization Service has denied many extensions for Visitor Visas. Additionally, many of the ones that have been granted have been granted for only 15 to 45 days. While some extensions are being granted, a large number of extensions are getting what is known as a Request for Evidence. This is a document whereby the Immigration and Naturalization Service does not yet deny the extension, but rather, asks for more information before making a decision. Some Requests for Evidence are intensive consisting of many pages. In some cases, by time you get the response to the Request for Evidence, either the extension is denied, or it was approved for a very small time which has already passed.

 Question: What happens if the denial comes, or if your status is extended, but by time you get the approval notice, the approval date has already passed?

Answer: You will most likely be out of status. If this occurs, then you will not be able to change your status or adjust your status in the United States. You will have to leave the United States and go back to your home country in order to reapply for the Visitor Visa. Once they see that you have been out of status, it will be very difficult to get the Visitor Visa. Additionally, the Consulate or Embassy officers will see that you have just come back from the United States and may not believe you are intending on returning to your home country. Finally, depending on how long it has been since you were out of status, you might be barred from coming back into the United States for the next 10 years.

Question: Is there any other way to remain in the United States without having to go back to my home country?

Answer: Yes. Rather than an extension of your status, you would apply for a change of status to some other type of status. You can obtain a Student change of status. This will allow you after it is approved to go to a designated school. Alternatively, there are a myriad of different types of work visas to allow you to work legally and remain in the country. At this point, I would not recommend doing the extension of the Visitor Visa. Rather, I would recommend that you change your status to some other type of status such as student, exchange or work status.

Filed under: B1/B2 Visas, Immigration Law, immigration provisions, USCIS, Visa | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Jumping Ship is a thing of the past

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney

Question: I am a member of the crew on a luxury ship. I know many of my friends have basically ‘jumped ship’ once they got to the U.S. They would just be on the crew list and then once came to the U.S. they would jump ship, not return and are now illegally living in the U.S. Some have been deported and others cannot find work. Why does the U.S. make it so easy to do this?

Answer: Previously, the law permitted a crew member to enter the United States on the basis of a crew manifest that has been given visas by a consular officer. However, this does not require a consular officer to visa a crew manifest and it authorizes the officer to deny admission to any individual alien whose name appears on a given visas crew manifest. However, in most instances, each and every crew member was not interviewed for the visa. It was the ‘crew manifest’ that was used. Now, the Crew List Visa has been eliminated.

Question: Why Has the Department Eliminated the Crew List Visa?

Answer: The Department has eliminated the crew list visa for security reasons. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Department has reviewed its regulations to ensure that every effort is being made to screen out persons whom they deem to be undesirable. By eliminating the crew list visa, the Department will ensure that each crewmember entering the United States is be required to complete the nonimmigrant visa application forms, submit a valid passport and undergo an interview and background checks. Additionally, visas issued after October 26, 2004 have a biometric indicator. This means crew list visas would necessarily be eliminated by that date.

Question: Won’t this now make it more difficult for crewman to get visas in the first-place?

Answer: Regarding difficulties for crewmen obtaining individual visas caused by last-minute scheduling, the Department recognizes the problem, but continues to believe that the security of the U.S. demands individual crew visas despite the dislocations that the requirement may cause initially. Nevertheless, the Department hopes that shipping companies and unions will encourage their employees and members to obtain visas where there is a reasonable possibility that a crewman may be required to enter the U. S. at any time.

Thus, as with most immigration related visa issues, it is getting more difficult to enter the U.S. Hopefully, this increased scrutiny and way of issuing visas will not hamper or impair the shipping industry into the U.S. Many ships change schedules during the last minute, or have to get crew persons to work the ships at a moments notice. If they cannot get the proper people to man and work the ships, it is possible that this new regulation and way of individually issuing visas to crewmembers will have an effect on the U.S. economy. Additionally, for those people who ‘jumped ship’, it is likely that they can and will still continue to do so as they will still be in the U.S. upon arrival. Clearly, persons should not do this and should find alternatives around coming to the U.S. and staying illegally. However, the new policy of issuing visas individually to crew members may not have the desired effect that the U.S. intends.


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