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MVP Law Group
News You Can Use
October 2017
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10632 Little Patuxent Parkway
Suite 406
Columbia, Maryland 21044
240-390-0600
1-800-447-0796
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Greetings,
"The Service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."
--
Muhammad Ali --
MVP Law Group, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with Immigration Practitioners and Advocates across the World are calling on POTUS to change course on immigration policy and instead work with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to move forward on immigration reform.
POTUS has released the following Executive Orders dealing with Immigration since officially taking Office on January 20, 2017:
Our outdated immigration system has hobbled our economy but these executive orders and POTUS' expanded deportation force WILL NOT give us the smart balanced immigration system we need. These policies and his administration's actions have done little to improve national security and have already created enormous delays for people coming to the U.S. His policies and actions have placed discrimination based on faith and national origin on the books. We cannot stand idly by and let this happen. This path is not good for our country or the immigrants who call America home. We will not stand for abridgement of due process or human rights by this or any administration.
In the field, the Buy American Hire American Executive Order has served as the foundation by which this administration is swiftly re-shaping the employment-based immigration landscape. This Administration has postponed the International Entrepreneur Rule, has begun to deny Form I-131 applications, has begun to heavily issue Requests for Evidence on H-1B petitions, has instituted a new requirement for in-person interviews for all employment-based immigration cases, claiming that additional vetting of these foreign nationals has to be conducted before they are approved for a Green Card, and has now rescinded a 2004 internal memo instructing USCIS Adjudicating Officers to give deference to prior H-1B adjudications with the same employer, subjecting these cases to even further scrutiny.
Senators and Representatives want to hear from you, their constituents, they NEED to hear from you. NOTHING will change without real stories from YOU! CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TODAY! Make a plan - write a letter, send a postcard, or call their office, once a month, or once a week, make a plan that WORKS FOR YOU!
We encourage you to Call your Representatives and Senators, regardless of where you live, they should hear from you and know what you won't stand for -
What's been happening in Immigration -
October 2, 2017 - USCIS
and SSA have
partnered
up to allow certain foreign nationals to apply for work authorization (I-765) and a social security number at the same time, using one form. The form also allows applicants to apply for a replacement social security card without having to visit an office.
October 8, 2017 - The White House issued a
statement
regarding enforcing immigration laws across the United States. The statement includes ineligibility for funding for states with sanctuary cities, hiring an additional 10,000 ICE officers and 300 Federal prosecutors, ending visa overstays by increasing overstay penalties, ending "catch and release" which will allow the ICE to keep aliens in custody pending removal for longer than the previous 180-day limit, requiring the use of E-Verify to stop employers from hiring illegal aliens, and increasing funding to the State Department to prevent visa fraud.
October 8, 2017 - The White House released another
statement
aimed at Immigration on the creation of a merit-based immigration system.
October 8, 2017 - The White House released yet another
statement
aimed at Immigration this one contains plans on how to increase efficiency on the removal of illegal immigrants. It includes a border wall, prompt removal of family and unaccompanied alien children, ending asylum fraud by instituting penalties for fraud and tighter standards, expanding the expedited removal process, and hiring additional immigration judges and ICE attorneys.
October 8, 2017 - This final
statement
released by the White House summarizes immigration policy priorities by the Trump administration. It includes key points such as a border wall, enforcement of immigration laws, and instituting a merit-based immigration system.
October 12, 2017- In support of the 'Buy American, Hire American' Executive Order, the USCIS has included additional information regarding employment-based visa programs on their
website
.
October 12, 2017-
Changes
have been made to direct filing addresses for Form I-129 petitions. Starting November 11, 2017, the USCIS will reject forms filled at the wrong service center.
October 23, 2017- The USCIS has updated its
policy
regarding nonimmigrant worker visa extension petitions. In summary, the USCIS rescinded a prior 2004 internal policy memo that instructed Adjudicators to provide deference to extensions filed by the same employer. The new policy instructs officers to apply the same level of scrutiny to both initial petitions and extension requests for certain nonimmigrant visa categories.
As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to attack the Immigrant population, local nonprofits could use your support. If you are interested in helping either by volunteering your time or making a monetary contribution, on a nationwide level or locally, please reach out to the following organizations:
NATIONWIDE:
In other immigration news, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for November 2017 is now available. The cutoff date movement is consistent with earlier predictions. The cutoff date for the EB2 category for India moved from 9/15/08 to 10/8/08 and EB3 remained at 10/15/06. The cutoff date for the EB2 category for Chinese Nationals moved from 5/22/13 to 6/15/13 and the cutoff date for the EB3 category for Chinese Nationals moved from 1/1/14 to 2/1/14.
We hope you continue to read our newsletter as well as our blog in order to stay in touch and obtain important information concerning changes to the regulatory environment and new trends in the adjudication of petitions.
Kellie N. Lego, Esq.
MVP Law Group, P.A.
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Diversity Visa (DV-2019) Lottery - UPDATED entry period dates!
UPDATE
Due to a technical issue, the DV-2019 entry period that began on October 3 has been closed. Entries submitted during October 3-10 are not valid and have been excluded from the system; they will not count as a duplicate entry. The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon,
U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on
Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017.
Only entries submitted during this period will be accepted and considered for selection in the lottery. Please throw away any confirmation number or other documentation that you have if you submitted an entry during Oct. 3-10.
Read more |
John McCain: 'Not conscionable' to deport 'Dreamers'
.
Senator John McCain, AZ (R), made his first TV interview since his diagnosis of brain cancer in July! On Sunday, September 10th, Senator McCain appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper. He talked about many things from his illness to Politics but one of the most important issues to him was the Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or often called the Dreamers. Senator McCain feels that Congress should pass permanent protections for the, "Dreamers" now that President Trump has canceled the program after a 6 months grace period. He would like the protections for these young people to be part of a comprehensive immigration package. McCain stated, "It is not conscionable to tell young people who came here as children that they have to go back to a country that they don't know,"
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About Our Law Firm
MVP Law Group, P.A. offers Business Immigration Services to Employers and Individuals World Wide. We deal primarily with Business Immigration by assisting clients in obtaining Temporary Work Visas; Preparing and Filing Employment Based and Family Based Immigrant Petitions; Aiding Lawful Permanent Residents in Attaining Naturalization; and ensuring compliance with Immigration laws by conducting internal audits for businesses in all industries.
U.S. Immigration Law is federal in nature (i.e., No State or provincial law is involved), therefore, our firm is able to provide U.S. Immigration Law Services to clients ANYWHERE in the United States and around the World.
MVP Law Group, P.A. 10632 Little Patuxent Parkway
Suite 406
Columbia, Maryland 21044
240-390-0600 1-800-447-0796 Keep In Touch With Us!   
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| PERM Processing Priority Dates (As of 10/31/17)
| PROCESSING AREA |
MONTH |
CALENDAR YEAR |
| Analyst Reviews |
June |
2017 |
| Audits |
Feb. |
2017 |
| Requests for
Reconsideration |
Sept. |
2017 |
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NOV. 2017 VISA BULLETIN
The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.
The monthly Visa Bulletin has changed. The bulletin now summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during the reported month for: "Application Final Action Dates" (consistent with prior Visa Bulletins) and "Dates for Filing Applications," indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center using Consular Processing (outside of the US) or file on their own with USCIS Form I-485 (within the US).
Read more
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MVP LAW GROUP - Immigration Q&A Forum
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MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.
Question #1 - Diversity Visa (DV)
Why do natives of certain countries not qualify for the Diversity Visa (DV) program?
Answer #1 -
Diversity Visas (DVs) are intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons who are not from "high admission" countries. U.S. law defines "high admission countries" as those from which a total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years. Each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) counts the family and employment -immigrant admission and adjustment of status numbers for the previous five years to identify the countries that are considered "high admission" and whose natives will therefore be ineligible for the annual Diversity Visa program. Since USCIS makes this calculation annually, the list of countries whose natives are eligible or not eligible may change from one year to the next.
Question #2 - Employment Based Immigration
If my Labor Application is denied, can we appeal the decision?
Answer #2 - Read more
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