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USCIS Fees – Common Problems and Mistakes
The USCIS Ombudsman has released a recommendation report which urges overhaul of the USCIS fee payment system. USCIS is considered a “pay-for-service” government agency where petitioners pay for the provision of a particular service. However, the current system which accepts checks or money orders for most, and credit cards for a few e-filing-enabled forms, has [...]
USCIS Confirms Retention of Priority Date for Subsequent I-140s
We have been receiving calls and emails from employment-based applicants for green card asking us whether they have a second green card process started by a new company. Generally, the inquiries are from EB-3 beneficiaries who are eligible and would like to start an EB-2 application. Most of these inquiries come from individuals from countries [...]
E-Verify Employers Reach 100,000
The E-Verify program now has 100,000 employer participants, USCIS announced yesterday. In a press release celebrating the milestone, USCIS also updated some interesting statistics about E-Verify. Employers have run more than 2 million queries through E-Verify since October 2008, and employers have been able to automatically verify more than 18 million workers’ eligibility since 1997. As [...]
E-Verify Becomes Mandatory for Federal Contractors
We have written about this requirement in the past, but it is now a final rule. Starting January 15, 2009, federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to begin using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to legally work in the United States. Federal contracts awarded and solicitations issued [...]
Political Conventions and Immigration
We at the Capitol Immigration Law Group have been following closely the Democratic and the Republican National Conventions, respectively last week and this week, and we were surprised to see that there was virtually zero attention paid to immigration in the speeches and debates on and off the convention floor. The Republican party was more likely [...]
E-Verify – The Clock to Renew Is Ticking
The E-Verify program, as we know it and have used to love it or hate it now, is set to expire on November 1st. E-Verify and its requirements to verify the employment eligibility for all new hires is the cornerstone of many states' immigration enforcement laws. For example, South Carolina and Arizona require all or a large portion of the companies who employ workers to use E-Verify. With the Senate in recess from August 1 until September 7, and target adjournment date of September 26, there are not many days left for Congress to consider the many issues that surround E-Verify. Many senators wish to condition or structure E-Verify's reauthorization with some other immigration measures. Some of the proposed bills are likely to spur a fair amount of opposition and their passage, as proposed, is not guaranteed. Until then, E-Verify is still operational, but the limited calendar and the desire of the U.S. congressmen to push alternative immigration measures alongside E-Verify may mean that its renewal will be down to the wire. The E-Verify program, as we know it and have used to love it or hate it now, is set to expire on November 1st. E-Verify and its requirements to verify the employment eligibility for all new hires is the cornerstone of many states' immigration enforcement laws. For example, South Carolina and Arizona require all or a large portion of the companies who employ workers to use E-Verify. With the Senate in recess from August 1 until September 7, and target adjournment date of September 26, there are not many days left for Congress to consider the many issues that surround E-Verify. Many senators wish to condition or structure E-Verify's reauthorization with some other immigration measures. Some of the proposed bills are likely to spur a fair amount of opposition and their passage, as proposed, is not guaranteed. Until then, E-Verify is still operational, but the limited calendar and the desire of the U.S. congressmen to push alternative immigration measures alongside E-Verify may mean that its renewal will be down to the wire. We at the Capitol Immigration Law Group will continue monitoring the situation on behalf of our clients and report as we get updates. To receive timely updates please visit this site regularly, subscribe to its RSS feed, or subscribe to our email newsletter.
Executive Order Mandates Federal Contractors to Use E-Verify
The debate surrounding E-Verify is in full force. In the meantime, the federal government and many states are busy implementing regulations requiring employers to become E-Verify compliant and start using the E-Verify system for all of their new hires. The latest regulation is an Executive Order 12989 as Amended, dated as of June 6, 2008, which [...]
Earth Day – “Green” Law Office
Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day. It may be interesting to note that offices in United States consume enough paper every year to build a 10-foot high, 6,815 mile-long wall of paper (this is enough to build a paper fence between New York and Tokyo). We, at the Capitol Immigration Law Group, are committed to being environmentally friendly office and are working on eliminating unnecessary paper from our practice. Please read the full article to learn what we do to be a "green" law office.