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VISA BULLETIN NEWS
BRIEF HISTORY OF
WHAT HAPPENED
VISA BULLETIN LINK
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KAZMI &
SAKATA is a Business & Family Immigration Nationality Law Firm
in San Diego, California.
Our firm can help you obtain your Green Card
through Marriage or through Employment.
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www.ksvisalaw.com
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We hope our friends and clients had an enjoyable
Fourth of July celebrating our Independence!
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Kazmi & Sakata are proud to provide this free
monthly newsletter. This newsletter includes a few brief U.S.
immigration updates relating to Employment & Family Visas
and Green Cards. It is important for Employers and Family members to
stay abreast of any new changes in U.S. immigration policy and
procedures.
This month's issue covers a variety of
immigrant and non-immigrant issues.
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The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
applauded the government for its reversal of its July 2 refusal to
allow thousands of highly skilled workers to make the last filing on
the legal path to a green card. AILA also applauds those whose efforts
helped to bring this change about.
AILA members and their clients--both employers and employees--objected
to the July 2 decision in a manner that was at once emphatic and
measured. From the sending of flowers to the Director of U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to the phone calls and
letters, to the blogs and message boards that
lit up with outrage, the affected communities let their voices be
heard. A number of members of the press picked up the story,
notwithstanding the complicated legalities, and did a fine job of
shining a public light on this matter.
Many members of Congress stepped up to question the actions of the
agencies. Foremost among these was Rep. Zoe
Lofgren (D-CA), who strongly challenged USCIS to either justify its
actions or reverse them. Her sense of outrage matched that of the
affected communities, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Ms.
Lofgren.
Last, but far from least, the American Immigration Law Foundation's
Legal Action Center prepared, and was poised to file, a class action
lawsuit that highlighted the illegalities of the government's actions.
The work of AILF, as well as other attorneys and their clients around
the country, who also stood ready to sue, played a pivotal role in
ensuring that USCIS remember the place of the rule of law in
government.
"It is reassuring to see that the call to adhere to the rule of
law still carries the weight that it must in our nation. I am proud of
the actions of AILA, AILF, Rep. Lofgren and many of her colleagues, and
of course the thousands affected by the government's lawless actions,
for standing up for what is right," said Kathleen Campbell Walker,
President of AILA. "The silence of those who recently exhibited
such fervor during the immigration reform debate for compliance with
the letter of the law was deafening on this issue. Where is their
egalitarian stance as to those who follow the rules to the letter while
trying to become permanent residents? It's time that all were unified
in favor of an orderly and rational immigration system."
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BRIEF HISTORY OF
WHAT HAPPENED
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On July 2nd, USCIS Announced an Update on
Employment-Based Adjustment of Status Processing. The Department of
State revised its July Visa Bulletin to reflect that all available
employment-based immigrant visas have been allocated for fiscal year
2007. As a result, beginning July 2nd, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) was rejecting applications to adjust status (Form
I-485) filed by aliens whose priority dates are not current under the
revised July Visa Bulletin.
On July 17th, the
government announced that it has reversed its July 2 announcement that
the fiscal year 2007 employment based visa numbers had been used up and
that it was going to refuse to accept adjustment of status filings
during July. Instead, Secretary Chertoff
advised that USCIS will keep the applications filed and reopen filings
for a 31-day period from July 18 through August 17, 2007, in order to
provide the same filing window people would have had if the July 2
actions had not taken place. Filers will be able to pay the July filing
fees during the entire window period. Unfortunately, it does not
appear this announcement helps the EB-3 other workers whose
applications were rejected in June.
On July 24th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
announced an extension of the temporary suspension of Premium
Processing Service for Form I-140, Immigrant Alien Worker Petitions,
which was previously announced on June 27, 2007 and became effective on
July 2, 2007. USCIS anticipates that the volume of Form I-140 petitions
filed that request Premium Process Service will continue to exceed
USCIS’ capacity to provide the Premium Process Service according
to the Premium Process Service program guidelines.
On July 28th, the USCIS will take the e-filing system down for maintenance
on Friday, July 27th, from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm Eastern time. This can
only relate to more delays and difficult options for last minute I-140
filings before the Fee increase on Monday, July 30th.
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VISA BULLETIN
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The following is a
link to both July Bulletins that were issued. Number 107 should be
followed for filing purposes.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3258.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3266.html
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The Visa Bulletin
provides updates on Immigrant Visas (green cards), which are
numerically limited by category and by country of chargeability.
Please see the
following link to the August Visa Bulletin issued by the
Department of State:
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We ask our readers to participate and be
active in the U.S.
immigration practice. Please send us your feedback on this
newsletter and feel free to ask any U.S. Immigration question you
may have by sending an email to info@ksvisalaw.com.
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