Immigration Resource Library online at UCLA: LibGuide.

UCLA Law Library has made available a Library Guide ("LibGuide") with extensive
and detailed research on the nation's current immigration situation.

Here's the link: http://libguides.law.ucla.edu/arizonaimmigration

This LibGuide served originally as electronic readings for a series of national
trainings. The LibGuide has evolved into a resource bank for all people
interested in learning more about the current immigration debate in the United
States. Critical topics include SB 1070 and its copycats, historical precedents,
demographic data, growing federal enforcement programs, "comprehensive
immigration reform," community-based and global activism, and much more.

FY 2012 H-1B Visa period starts on April 1, 2011.

USCIS Announces FY 2012 H-1B Work Visa Petitions Will Be Accepted Starting April
1, 2011.

USCIS announced that it will start accepting cap-subject H-1B petitions for
FY2012 on April 1, 2011, noting that cases will be considered accepted on the
date USCIS receives a properly filed petition, not the date that the petition is
postmarked.

The cap (the numerical limit on H-1B petitions) for FY 2012 is 65,000.

The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals with U.S.
master's degrees or higher are exempt (subject to a separate cap).

Fee Waiver Guidelines from the USCIS, March 13, 2011.

On March 13, 2011, USCIS has published the following final policy Memorandum:

Fee Waiver Guidelines as Established by the Final Rule of the USCIS Fee
Schedule; Revisions to Adjudicator's Field Manual (AFM) Chapter 10.9 (AFM Update
AD11-26).

It lists the petitions and applications fees can be waived and how to prove your
inability to pay the filing USCIS fees.

See at
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/2011/March/FeeWaiverGuidelines_Establi\
shed_by_the_Final%20Rule_USCISFeeSchedule.pdf

VISA TIPS from the U.S. Consulate (apply to all Immigrant Visa applicants).

VISA FASTLANE TIPS. These general rule apply to all Immigrant Visa applicants and not only to this particular consulate.

We want to issue visas!  Really we do!  Unfortunately, most cases are not ready for issuance on the date of the interview because applicants fail to complete all of the necessary steps.

This document provides clear steps that applicants can take to be prepared better for their interview:

Read at http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/fastlane4.html

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• Arrive on Time! – For a variety of reasons, many individuals do not appear on the date scheduled for their interview.  If you fail to appear or come late, your case will be rescheduled for the next available date which is often several months away.

• Plan your trip to the Consular Building.
• Original Documents – Bring original documents (i.e. birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, etc.), as well as one photocopy of each document.  Please provide a photocopy of each document and a certified English translation for any documents in languages other than English, Arabic, or Hebrew.
Please note:
• Bring your passport.  You must have a valid passport with at least eight months validity.
• Bring completed Forms DS-230, Parts I & II.
• If your fees were not previously paid at the National Visa Center, bring exact change for the payment of your visa at the Consulate.
• Photos – Photos must comply with our strict photo guidelines.
• Medical Exams – If at all possible, the required medical exam should be completed at least three weeks prior to your scheduled interview.  This provides time for the medical documents to arrive in our office prior to your interview.  Please note that medical exams are only valid for one year and your visa will be limited if it has been more than six months since your medical exam.
• If the beneficiary served in the military, we need the beneficiary’s original Army discharge certificate.
• Apply for any required police certificates as soon as we provide you the application with Packet 3, and in any event, at least four weeks before your interview.  Police certificates are required from all locations where the beneficiary has lived for more than 6 months after the age of 16.  All Palestinian ID holders living in the West Bank or Gaza must apply for both a police certificate from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Interior AND an Israeli police certificate from the Israeli DCO (Civil Liaison Office) in their place of residence.

And now for the biggest issues that holds up issuances: The most common delay we encounter involves sponsorship documents.  Each intending immigrant must show that he or she has adequate means of financial support while in the United States and is not likely to become a public charge.  The documents listed below are listed in our useful links page.  Please pay close attention so that your case is not delayed.
• Each petitioner MUST provide an original, signed Form I-864 for each beneficiary along with a copy of his or her current tax returns (Forms 1040 and W-2).  In some cases, a petitioner can file an I-864EZ (rather than an I-864) for a beneficiary – please see full details and requirements.  If the petitioner did not file taxes last year, the petitioner should provide an original signed and dated “no tax letter” explaining why he or she did not pay taxes last year (i.e. no earned income).
• Often the petitioner will not meet the minimum poverty guidelines.  In such cases the sponsorship requirements can be met by a “Joint Sponsor” who submits an originally signed Form I-864, plus proof of status (e.g., copy of U.S. passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate. green card etc.) and copy of current tax returns (Forms 1040 and W-2).  If the Joint Sponsor files taxes with his or her spouse, we will also need an original signed Form I-864A from the household member unless the sponsor can prove that he or she earned all the income necessary to meet the support guidelines.
• When filing for children (IR-2 or CR-2 cases), we simply need an originally signed copy of the I-864W, Intending Immigrant's Affidavit of Support Exemption Form.

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Contact Information for those looking for U.S. citizens friends and relatives missing in Japan or Pacific after Tsunami (03-2011).

The US Dept of State released the following contact information for those
looking for U.S. citizens missing in Japan or other tsunami zone in Pacific
outside of Japan.

* If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in Japan, please send the
State Department an email at JapanEmergencyUSC @ state.gov

* If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in the Tsunami zone outside
of Japan, please send the State Department an email at PacificTsunamiUSC @
state.gov

Temporary Relief for Nationals of Japan (and Others from Pacific) Due to Earthquakes and Tsunami March 11, 2011

Relief for Japan and Other Nationals from the Pacific Stranded due to the
Earthquakes and Tsunami on March 11, 2011.

This advisory is for Japanese and other foreign nationals from the Pacific
stranded in the
United States due to the earthquakes and tsunami devastation in the Pacific.

If you have
exceeded or are about to exceed your authorized stay in the U.S. you may be
permitted up
to an additional 30 days to depart.

Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):

• If you are at an airport, contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
office at
the airport.
• All others, please visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
office.

Visitors traveling under a nonimmigrant visa:

• Visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
• Bring your passport, evidence that you are stranded (such as an itinerary for
the
cancelled flight), and your I-94 departure record.
For additional immigration relief options, please visit the Special Situation
page.

www.uscis.gov

No H or L Visa interviews to be scheduled in U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, India

March 3, 2011


U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai announces that, effective immediately, no new H or L visa appointments are available at post due to forced reduction in number of interview windows. 



If you have already scheduled an H or L visa interview appointment at the Mumbai 
Consulate, you may keep that interview time.  No new H or L visa appointments 
will be made at the Mumbai Consulate.  New H and L interviews may be 
scheduled at the other U.S. Consulates in India or the Embassy in New Delhi.


Appointments will be scheduled via VFS at https://www.vfsusa.co.in/USIndia/Index.html.  Appointment times can be found on the VFS 
website.



 http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/media/pdf-visas/partial-reduction-in-visa-operations-.pdf

New filing location for USCIS Change of Address, AR-11, starting from March 15, 2011

Beginning March 15, 2011 all Change of Address, (Form AR-11) and Alien’s Change of
Address, (Form AR-11 SR) will change filing locations.  Now, you must file all change of
address forms at the following address:

DHS/USCIS
Harrisonburg File Storage Facility
Attn:  AR-11
1344 Pleasants Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Change of address forms mailed to the old location will be forwarded to the new filing location
for 45 days beginning March 15, 2011 until April 28, 2011.

You also have the option of notifying USCIS of a change of address online at www.uscis.gov

Chicago manager sentenced to 18 months in prison for hiring illegal immigrants

FEBRUARY 25, 2011

CHICAGO, IL

Manager of 2 Chicago-area staffing companies sentenced for hiring illegal aliens

CHICAGO - The president of two Chicago-area staffing companies that supplied temporary workers to suburban warehouses has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for hiring illegal aliens to form his labor pool. The sentence resulted from a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Clinton Roy Perkins, 66, was sentenced Feb. 16 to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for knowingly hiring illegal aliens at the staffing companies. He pleaded guilty in September 2010. On Feb. 25, U.S. District Judge Joan B. Gottschall also ordered the forfeiture of $465,178 in proceeds obtained as a result of the criminal activity.

Perkins, of Wayne, Ill., was the president of Anna II Inc., and Can Do It Inc., staffing companies located at 801 Golf Lane in Bensenville, Ill. Anna II/Can Do It provided both skilled and unskilled labor to clients operating warehouses in various suburbs. The workers performed janitorial services, loaded and unloaded freight packages and merchandise, and installed and removed structures inside warehouses.

In his plea agreement, Perkins admitted to knowingly hiring more than 10 illegal aliens from Mexico as temporary workers between October 2006 and October 2007. The illegal workers hired by Perkins were not required to provide documents establishing their immigration status or lawful right to work in the United States.

Perkins and his son-in-law, Chrispher Reindl, paid the illegal workers' wages in cash and failed to deduct payroll taxes or other withholdings. Perkins and Reindl directed low-level supervisory employees to transport illegal workers back and forth between locations near the aliens' residences in Chicago and work sites in the suburbs. Both also provided bogus six-digit numbers - purporting to be the last six digits of the aliens' Social Security numbers - to a company, knowing that their workers were in the country illegally and did not possess valid Social Security numbers.

Reindl pleaded guilty in November to hiring illegal workers and is scheduled for sentencing in March.

"We will hold employers accountable for their actions," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Chicago. "Mr. Perkins knowingly hired an illegal workforce and circumvented our nation's immigration laws for financial gain. The goal of our enforcement efforts is two-fold - reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect job opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce."

Read at http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1102/110225chicago.htm