Beach-Oswald Immigration Law Associates Beach-Oswald 
Immigration Law Associates Newsletter

 

Washington, DC
Immigration Lawyers

Issue 5 - May 1, 2008

http://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifSuggested Immigration Movies

Suggested Movies

THE KITE RUNNER (2007)

Novel by Khaled Hosseini about the war in Afghanistan from pre Russian invasion forward.  Discusses childhood friendships and human disaster caused by war and death.

 

UNDER THE SAME MOON  ( 2007)

Story of mother who tries to make a living in the US and her son who sets off to find her from Mexico when his grandmother dies.  Themes of treatments of immigrants and trials to get to the US and work explained. 

 

 

 

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Beach-Oswald is a full-service law firm, concentrating on immigration law. We have special expertise in work visas, family based visas, visa waivers, green cards through family and employment and asylum. We have staff members who speak many different languages to assist you.

 

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Student Exchange Programhttp://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifUSCIC Plans to Raise Fees for the Student Exchange Visitor Program

 

While the final rule has not yet been published, USCIC has recently announced that the fees for the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will soon go up.  The fee increase is necessary in order to keep up with the number of investigations into possible violations and to pay for the recertification of schools, as required by Congress to ensure that school continue to meet the standards for hosting international students.

 

        Currently, the fee for nonimmigrant students (The I-901 fee) is $100, which the rule proposes to raise to $200. The current fee that schools have to pay to becomes certified is $350 and a $230 site visit fee. The proposed rule would raise the certification fee to $1700, plus a $655 site visit fee (schools that are already certified will not need to pay a recertification fee).  While this fee increase appears quite significant, USCIC points out that the average cost of a private four-year education is $23,712, which means that the proposed fee increase is only 0.002% of the overall cost of education for foreign students.

 

Visa Waiver Programhttp://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifKorea On Its Way to Becoming Part of the Visa Waiver Program

                       On April 18 Korea signed a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, which means that once Korea complies with the necessary security enhancements, it will become part of the VWP later this year. The VWP program allows visitors from participating countries to travel to the U.S. by obtaining authorization through an electronic system instead of applying for a visa.  

 

http://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifPhotos, Fingerprints and Biometrics Now Required for Travel DocumentsChanges to H-1B Rules

  

          USCIS revised its instructions for Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document), and now all applicants for re-entry permits and refugee travel documents will have to provide biometrics, fingerprints and photographs at a USCIS Application Support Center. Applicants will have to provide an extra $80 biometrics filing fee.

 

          Applicants who are 14-79 years of age will be required to provide biometrics, fingerprints and photographs BEFORE departing from the US.  The I-131 filing fee of $305 cannot be waivered.  Applicants must be physically in the US when filing for a re-entry permit.  Caution:  If you are an asylee or a green card holder through asylum you should on NO ACCOUNT return to your home country.

http://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifH-IB Cap Reached For FY2009

H-1B Visas                   USCIS announced on April 8, 2008 that a sufficient number of H-IB filings had been received to reach the annual limit for the fiscal year of 2009.  In addition 20,000 cases requesting advanced-degree exemptions, meeting that cap for FY2009 were received.  On April 14, 2008 USCIS conducted two random selections of H-IB petitions to determine which cases would be eligible.  Selected cases are now being adjudicated and those under premium processing will be reviewed within 15 days of completion of April 14, lottery.  A case on the waiting list can replace a case denied, withdrawn or ineligible.  The wait listed cases will be determined within 8 weeks. 

 

http://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifDHS Accomplishments Of FY2008

Dept of Homeland Security                   Erected 287 miles of fencing at southern US border to complete 670 miles by end of 2008.  CBP a new Customs and Border Protection branch has increased air and marine support.  A $50.5 billion funding which is a seven percent increase over FY2008 has been requested. 

 

Backlogs for Citizenship http://www.boilapc.com/TDE_Newsletter/admin/editor/editor/images/spacer.gifBacklogs For Citizenship

                   In summer 2007 a large increase in filings occurred due to the increase in filing fees for 2-3 times the original amount.   To improve the processing of N400 applications the USCIS added 3,000 new employees to assist and FBI and USCIS are addressing the timeframe for name checks.  Backlogs of 98 % of cases to 30 days or less by June 2009 is anticipated. 

 

 

 

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