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Comment
USCIS Releases I485 Inventory
On September 23, 2009, USCIS for the first time published an inventory of I-485 data online (for the item, see below). Applicants can more reliably estimate their expected waiting time for green cards and thus, finally make informed life decisions in career development, family, and becoming new Americans. Congratulations to USCIS, particularly Deputy Chief of Service Center Operations Robert Kruszka and his team, for working with stakeholders including the Legal Immigrant Association in particular and recognizing the importance of making this inventory public.
We welcome readers to share their opinion and ideas with us by writing to editor@ilw.com.
Focus
The Consular Posts Book, 2009-2010 Edition Shipping Now
The Table of Contents for "The Consular Posts Book", 2009-2010 Edition, shipping now, is as follows:
PART I. MAJOR CONSULAR POSTS
Chapter 1: Argentina - Buenos Aires, By Christi Hufford
Chapter 2: Armenia - Yerevan, By Alice Yardum-Hunter
Chapter 3: Australia - Sydney, By Noah Klug
Chapter 4: Brazil - Sao Paulo, By Kristina Rost
Chapter 5: Canada -Toronto, By Dharamchand " Randy" Depoo
Chapter 6: China - Beijing, By Frederick W. Hong; Guangzhou, By Jakob Lipman and Adam Lee; Shanghai, By Christy Nguyen
Chapter 7: Colombia - Bogota, By Luis A. Pinilla
Chapter 8: France - Paris, By Curtis Pierce
Chapter 9: Germany - Frankfurt, By Steven A. Culbreath; Munich, By Magdale Labbe Henke
Chapter 10: Haiti - Port au Prince By Jose E. Latour
Chapter 11: India - Chennai, By Vic Goel; Kolkata, By Poorvi Chothani; Mumbai, By Priscilla Jones; New Delhi, By Poorvi Chothani
Chapter 12: Jamaica - Kingston, By Claire D. Nilson
Chapter 13: Nigeria - Lagos, By C. Valerie Ibe
Chapter 14: Philippines - Manila, By Emmanuel S. Tipon
Chapter 15: Taiwan - Taipei, By Lesa M. Lawrence and Jessica L. Rodriguez
Chapter 16: Trinidad and Tobago - Port of Spain, By Claire D. Nilson
Chapter 17: United Kingdom - London, By Edward S. Gudeon
Chapter 18: Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City, By Marc Ellis
PART II. THEORY AND PRACTICE
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: New Attorney Vulnerabilities in International Practice
Chapter 3: Trade and Immigration Tightening? NAFTA, WTO, GATS Soup to Nuts
Chapter 4: Tips for Avoiding B-1/B-2 Visa Denials and Correcting other Refusal Issues with the Consul
Chapter 5: The Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Not As Simple and Easy As It Looks
Chapter 6: Non-Immigrant Classes and Their U.S. Tax Obligations
Chapter 7: E-1/E-2 Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors
Chapter 8: The Consular Role in L-1 Blanket Petitions
Chapter 9: H-1B "Dependent Employees": From Labeling to Lawbreaking
Chapter 10: Temporary Assignment of H-1B Employees to Client Work Sites
Chapter 11: State Department Name-Checks and Security Advisory Opinions (SAOs)
Chapter 12: ICE Data-Mining and Federal Benefits Fraud Task Forces - Send In the Marines: Best Practices to Survive Audits and Task Forces
Chapter 13: What to do if Your Client's Visa is Denied: Visa Office Advisory Opinions
Chapter 14: A Template for Attorney Risk-Assessment
PART III. THE CONSULAR POSTS RESOURCES ON CD-ROM
Selected excerpts and documents:
Statutes, Regulations, Foreign Affairs Manual, Forms, Executive Orders,
Department of Commerce,
Department of Homeland Security,
Department of Justice,
Department of Labor,
Department of State,
Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Customs and Border Patrol,
Citizenship and Immigration Services,
Government Accountability Office,
Federal Bureau of Investigations,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
Internal Revenue Service,
The White House,
ILW.COM,
Miscellaneous,
Web Links
For contributor bios, more info, and to order, please see: http://www.ilw.com/books/ConsularPosts.shtm
. Or for fax, please see: http://www.ilw.com/books/ConsularPosts.pdf
Articles
Bloggings on Deportation And Removal
Matthew Kolken writes "The main subject matter of this blog is going to be issues relating to Immigration Court proceedings, deportation defense, and issues of inadmissibility and deportability (known under the generic term "removability" )."
Bloggings On Dysfunctional Government
Angelo A. Paparelli writes "Congress, or better yet, investigative journalists and documentary filmmakers, should take a cue from Deep Throat when it comes to pulling the covers off the scandal of immigration user fees."
Bloggings On The H-1B Visa
Anthony F. Siliato and Scott R. Malyk write "The much-anticipated October visa bulletin issued by the Department of State did little to give new hope to the long line of skilled workers waiting for available immigrant visa numbers."
To submit an Article for consideration, write to editor@ilw.com.
News
USCIS On Pending I485 Inventory
USCIS provides a QA on its pending employment-based form I-485 inventory tracker. For the QA, see here. To view the related report, see here.
USCIS Announces ENotification Capability
USCIS announced the launch of its E-Notification initiative for immigration applications and petitions filed at one of three USCIS Lockbox facilities in Chicago, Phoenix, and Lewisville, Texas.
USCIS Launches My Case Status
USCIS announced that on the redesigned USCIS.gov website, My Case Status replaces Case Status Online and adds a new option for customers to receive alerts through text messages sent to their mobile phones.
Classifieds
Help Wanted - Immigration Paralegals
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Case Management Technology
Are you ready for the new changes in immigration? See why INSZoom has a 99% customer retention rate. Use our forms with peace of mind - 800+ updated within 24 hours of any new release, no patches or downloads. E-File 20+ forms. Access your firm's online database anywhere you have internet access. Client relationship management tools, practice management tools, group calendaring, emails, notes, reports, invoices, auto email alerts and reminders, document storage and assembly. A library of customizable
questionnaires, letters and email templates included. Online access for clients to check case status included. Compliancy modules: I9, LCA, AR 11, PERM. Optional services: credit card processing, Outlook & QuickBooks integration. One-time data entry and auto population into all documents will save you time and reduce errors. Customizable to support solo practitioners, mid-large law firms & corporations. We teach you how to customize the software to fit your
processes and communication needs. Founded in 1999, INSZoom is a profitable, financially sound company, employing 100+ engineers, sales, and support staff. INSZoom is ISO 27001:2005
certified and the "world's largest immigration software company", built with
flexible modules that allow you to manage and control technology. To
schedule a complimentary online demo, call 925-244-0600 or email
info@inszoom.com.
Immigration Law Certificate
Master the complex and ever changing maze of immigration policies and regulations with the Immigration Law Studies Certificate Program offered by CUNY's School of Professional Studies. This graduate-level certificate program, consisting of (3) three-credit classes, offers students who complete it a comprehensive understanding of the laws, regulations, and processes surrounding the status of immigrants in the US, including family and employment-based immigration and deportation defense. It is designed for individuals working in law firms, companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations where they interact with immigrants and immigrant legal concerns on a regular basis and would therefore benefit from greater knowledge of the laws and regulations surrounding immigration. Beginning this spring, the program is also being offered online. For more information on class schedules, tuition and fees, course applications and to register, see here.
Headlines
Administration Will Cut Border Patrol Deployed on U.S-Mexico Border
Easterling said this week that as of now the Border Patrol still has the same 894 miles of border under effective control that it had under effective control as of May 31.
Obama Drops Ball On Immigration
And the same president who seems to understand that the longer he waits to accomplish health care reform, the more difficult it will be to get, doesn't seem to understand the same is true with immigration reform.
Cartoonists Take On Illegal Immigration
"The now-infamous Capitol shout-out from South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson was blogged, scribed, tubed and 'tooned to death, but precious little commentary actually dealt with illegal immigration, the spark that lit his short fuse.
CNN: It's Time to Deport Lou Dobbs
This week, America's Voice is launching a campaign to air our new TV ad targeting CNN. The goal: to get CNN to drop Lou Dobbs.
comingsNgoings
Readers can share professional announcements (up to 100-words at no charge), email: editor@ilw.com. To announce your event, see here
New Position
Bernstein Osberg-Braun & de Moraes is pleased to announce that Jose Latour has joined the firm. Bernstein Osberg-Braun & de Moraes, 11900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 700, Miami, FL 33181. Tel. (305)895-0300, Ext. 3228. jlatour@visaattorneys.com
www.visaattorneys.com.
Letters
Readers can share comments, email: editor@ilw.com (up to 300-words). Past correspondence is available in our archives
Dear Editor:
Regarding yesterday's Comment (9/25/09 ID), "Dream Rallies", the problem
with such rallies seeking undeserved benefits of any kind including
amnesty is that all such have become a nightmare to US citizens who can
no longer afford them (if we ever could) in the numbers that now seek
them. Uncle Sam has become Uncle Sap to these advocacy groups, but we
cannot financially or morally continue to grant benefits or citizenship
for hoards of those who broke our laws upon entry. Restrictionists have
heard of Sun-tzu also, and recognize all of the phony arguments and
attempts of pacification that entry enthusiasts use, including R.
Gittelson's, "Immigration Reform Debate Prep 101: Understanding Your
Opponents Arguments" (9/23/09 ID) where his Article openly admits Restrictionists
are the "enemy" with whom stratagems, pacifications, ploys, American
apple pie, brotherhood, compassion, etc. are proper tactics to use in
the unholy, self-centered quest to give foreigners the same or higher
rights than US citizens so that some can profit at the expense of
others. The basic, immutable problem is that there is no actual way to
make that which is illegal, legal, as even Humpty Dumpty understood, but
shamnesty advocates don't. Our laws clearly calls for the deportation
of illegals which is only tokenly done and entry advocates have no
historical credibility for any scheme to the contrary. If the latter
were truly sincere, they would join Restrictionists in a entry
moratorium to stabilize and reduce past excesses by deporting illegals,
fully securing borders, enforcing entry laws, make illegal entry a
felony and ending undeserved benefits of all kinds to illegals including
birthright citizenship. When this has been done would be the proper time
to again consider selected, limited entry that would be in America's
interests, not that of illegal, non-citizens and special interests.
Jim Roberts
An Important disclaimer! The information provided on this page is not legal advice. Transmission of this information is not intended to create, and receipt by you does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers must not act upon any information without first seeking advice from a qualified attorney. Send correspondence and articles to editor@ilw.com. Letters and articles may be edited and may be published and otherwise used in any medium. The views expressed in letters and articles do not necessarily represent the views of ILW.COM.
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