USCIS Fee Increase

September 24, 2010

Effective November 23, 2010, the fees for many USCIS applications will increase.   Applications postmarked or filed on or after November 23, 2010 must include the new fee. The full list can be found in the September 24, 2010 Federal Register (scroll to page four). Some of the increases include: Application Old fee New fee biometrics [...]

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DREAM Act is only a dream for now

September 21, 2010

The Senate voted on the Defense bill, which included the DREAM Act amendment, this afternoon.  The bill received 56 yes votes and was four short of passing.   Several Senators have promised to continue pushing for the bill.

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Contact your Senator to support the DREAM Act

September 20, 2010

There are thousands of people who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents when they were children.  They live in limbo, unable to go to college, work legally or plan for the future.  Instead, they worry about being deported to a country they do not know. The proposed DREAM Act would allow [...]

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I entered the U.S. without a visa and got married to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Now what?

August 16, 2010

Assuming you do not qualify for any other immigration benefits, your U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident spouse can file an I-130 Petition on your behalf.  In many cases, after the Petition is approved, you must go abroad to apply for an immigrant visa.  This is known as consular processing.  As part of the visa process, [...]

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Beware of “notarios” and immigration or visa consultants

August 9, 2010

Immigration laws are complicated and change frequently.  To have the best chance of success, it is important that you hire a licensed attorney or accredited representative who is experienced in immigration law.  Licensed attorneys must complete education and training before they can legally represent clients.  They must follow strict ethical rules.  If an attorney does [...]

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How do you locate your family member in ICE custody?

August 2, 2010

The new Online Detainee Locator System (OLDS) allows you to locate your family member or friend in ICE custody.  OLDS will provide you with the location of the facility and the contact information for the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Office with authority over the case. There are two ways to search for an individual: [...]

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Visa appointments at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

July 26, 2010

The U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez has two new videos to help visa applicants navigate interview day.  The videos are in English and Spanish. At The Consulate: Don’t Be Fooled At the Consulate:  Don’t be fooled! explains why you should always say “no” to the people outside of the consulate who want to review your [...]

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U-visa limit reached for 2010

July 19, 2010

CIS announced last week that it has approved the statutory limit of 10,000 U-visas for fiscal year 2010.   The U-visa is a non-immigrant visa that gives legal status to crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement. CIS will continue accepting U-visa applications and will put conditionally approved applications on a waiting list.  U-visas will [...]

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TPS registration deadline extended for Haitians

July 12, 2010

Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) registration deadline for Haitians has been extended to January 18, 2011. If you are a Haitian national and have been in the United States since January 12, 2010, you may be eligible for TPS.  TPS gives individuals temporary legal status in the United [...]

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