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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.
We succeed when others don't!
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 New
Naturalization Test
As of October 1, 2008 US Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) will begin implementing the newly redesigned citizenship
test. USCIS’s goal in redesigning
the test was to make sure that all naturalization applicants have a
consistent testing experience nationwide.
USCIS hopes that the new questions will properly assess whether
naturalization applicants have a good understanding of U.S. government and
history. If you are scheduled to
take the naturalization test, we recommend that you download a copy of
the new test from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.
A direct link can be found here. Depending on when your application was
filed, you may be scheduled to take the current version of the test. The chart below determines whether you
will be taking the current or the redesigned test:
Date Form N-400 Filed* |
Date of Initial Exam |
Test to be Taken |
If Applicant Fails Initial Exam, Re-test to be Taken |
|
Before October 1, 2008 |
Before October 1, 2008 |
Current Test |
Current Test |
|
Before October 1, 2008 |
On or After October 1, 2008 up until October 1, 2009 |
Applicant's Choice of -Current Test or -Redesigned
(New) Test |
The same version of the test as the one taken during
the initial examination |
|
On or After October 1, 2008 |
On or After October 1, 2008 |
Redesigned (New) Test |
Redesigned (New) Test |
|
At Any Time (i.e. Before, On or After October 1,
2008) |
On or After October 1, 2009 |
Redesigned (New) Test |
Redesigned (New) Test |
 Naturalization Applications
to Be Processed Faster
Due to a surge in naturalization applications filed in
the summer of 2007 many have found themselves waiting months and even
years for their naturalization application to be adjudicated. One of the
main reasons that applications stay pending for a long time is because of
a pending FBI name check. The USCIS has recently released a statement
that they have made significant progress in the processing of
naturalization applications. Whereas before the USCIS estimated that
naturalization applications would take 16-18 months to process, they are
now projecting that by the end of September 2008 naturalization
applications will take 10-12 months to process.
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26 New Employers Join ICE's IMAGE Program
The ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and
Employers (IMAGE) program was started in 2007 with the goal of assisting
employers in certain targeted sectors combat the prevalence of illegal
workers and fraudulent documents in the workplace. On September 9, 2008, ICE held a
ceremony at its new headquarters in Arlington, VA where they signed on 26
companies that will now be members of the IMAGE program. Companies choose
to participate in the IMAGE program voluntarily, and by doing so, they
will receive education and training on proper hiring procedures, anti-discrimination
procedures, how to detect fraudulent documents, and how to properly use
the E-Verify system. The employers
that decide to participate in the IMAGE program must agree to:
- Complete
a self-assessment questionnaire;
- Enroll
in E-Verify;
- Enroll
in the Social Security Number Verification Service;
- Adhere
to IMAGE Best Employment Practices;
- Undergo
an I-9 audit conducted by ICE; and
- Review
and sign an official IMAGE partnership agreement with ICE
To find out more details about what the IMAGE
program entails, please visit http://www.ice.gov/partners/opaimage/index.htm
New Report Shows That Very
Few of Those Arrested Are Illegal Immigrants
Virginia’s Prince William County made national
headlines when it announced in March that it would implement a tough
policy by checking the immigration status of all criminal suspects, no
matter how minor the offence, and placing into deportation anyone found
to be in unlawful status. The rest of the State was said to be following
suit in its crackdown on illegal immigrants. Interestingly enough, a
status report done six months after this program started revealed that
fewer than 2% of those charged with crimes in Prince William County were
undocumented. To read the Washington Post article on this subject, please
visithttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903387.html
Delays Expected in Building
the Border Fence
Department of Homeland Security officials (DHS) have
acknowledged that it is unlikely that the Bush administration will be
able to complete 670 miles of border fence by the end of the year as
required by Congress. DHS cited
rising construction costs, potential environmental and historic
preservation delays, and problems acquiring private land along the border
as some of the reasons behind the delay.
The $3.5 billion Secure Border Initiative is expected to exceed
its budget by $400 million, and DHS has stated that they are running out
of money. To read the complete
Washington Post article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091003419.html
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