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MVP Law Group
News You Can Use
May 2017

10632 Little Patuxent Parkway
Suite 406
Columbia, Maryland 21044
240-390-0600
1-800-447-0796
Greetings,

"Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American like."
                                                              -- President John F. Kennedy (Happy 100th Birthday)


MVP Law Group, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with Immigration Practitioners across the World are continuously 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.
 
Our outdated immigration system has hobbled our economy but these executive orders and POTUS' expanded deportation force WILL NOT give us the smart balanced immigration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.

As the attacks continue on our foreign born, our Senators and Representatives want and need to hear from you, their constituents. They need to know how the current policies of the Trump Administration are affecting your friends, family, neighborhood and communities. NOTHING will change without real stories from YOU! We've learned from the election that your voice does count, so take a stand and make your voice heard. 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! It is your civic duty as an American.

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 -  

§
1-866-940-2439 - Representative - Find your Representative here!
§ 1-866-961-4293 - Senators - Find your Senators here!

POTUS has released the following Executive Orders dealing with Immigration since officially taking Office on January 20, 2017:     
  1. Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements
  2. Executive Order:  Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States 
  3. Executive Order:  Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States (1st Travel Ban) 
  4. Executive Order: Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety
  5. Executive Order: Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and Preventing International Trafficking
  6. Executive Order: Preventing Violence against Federal, State, Tribal and Local Law Enforcement Officers
  7. Executive Order: Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States (Travel Ban 2.0, replaces the January 27, 1ST Travel Ban ) 
  8. Executive Order:  Buy American, Hire American

What's been happening in Immigration -
  • April 7, USCIS announced that they reached the H1B CAP for FY2018. They received 199,000 H-1B petitions, a significant decrease from FY2017-FY2013, when the USCIS had received well over 215,000 H-1B CAP Subject petitions.
  • April 17, USCIS announced that they completed the random lottery selection process for FY2018 H1B CAP Subject petitions.  
  • April 19, USCIS reminded beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone that their TPS would terminate as of May 21, 2017.  
  • From May 2 through May 26, a total of six (6) Travel Warnings were issued by the Department of State. Those warnings concerned the following countries: Tunisia (5/2), North Korea (5/9), Yemen (5/10), Pakistan (5/22), Haiti (5/22), and the Central African Republic (5/26).  
  • May 24, USCIS extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Haiti for six (6) months only (TPS is normally extended for a period of 18 months)
  • UPDATE ON THE TRAVEL BAN - May 25, a Federal Appeals court rejected the U.S. government's efforts to limit travel to the United States from six predominately Muslim nations. The federal appeals court described POTUS' travel ban as intolerant and discriminatory. Attorney General Jeff Sessions quickly vowed to appeal to SCOTUS.
  • May 25, USCIS announced they reached the CW1 CAP for FY2018.
  • May 30, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of a Mexican Immigrant, Esquivel-Quintana v. Sessions: The Court employed a categorical approach by looking to the statute...of conviction, rather than to the specific facts underlying the crime.
 
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 June 2017 is now available. The cutoff date movement is consistent with earlier predictions. The cutoff date for the EB2 category for India moved from 6/22/08 to 7/1/08 and EB3 moved from 3/25/05 to 5/15/05. The cutoff date for the EB2 category for Chinese Nationals moved from 2/8/13 to 3/1/13 and the cutoff date for the EB3 category for Chinese Nationals remained at 10/1/14.

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.
In This Issue
Appeals court rules against President Trump's revised Travel Ban

On Thursday, May 25, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit upheld a lower court's decision that barred the Trump administration from implementing its second attempt at a travel ban against six majority-Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen). Chief Judge Roger Gregory felt that removing any mention of religion did not fix the fact that it targets people based on their religion.

Read more

Scam Alert - DHS OIG Hotline Telephone Number Used in Scam to Obtain Personal Information

 
On Wednesday, April 19, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a fraud alert! DHS OIG is warning the public that the scam is using their DHS OIG hotline number. These scammers identify themselves as U.S. Immigration employees and have altered their caller ID to show the real DHS OIG hotline (1-800-323-8603) which is not the number or location that they are calling from. They tell the individual that they are a victim of ID theft and demand personally information.

 

 

If a Scammer Calls You

 

If you receive a call demanding personal information or payment, hang up immediatelyIf you want to verify whether a call is from USCIS, you may:

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 

 

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PERM Processing Priority Dates

(As of 5/31/17)

 

PROCESSING AREA

MONTH

CALENDAR YEAR

Analyst Reviews

Feb.      

2017

Audits       

Oct.     

2016

Requests for
Reconsideration

April       

2017

JUNE 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).




MVP LAW GROUP - Immigration Q&A Forum
 

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 - Family Based Immigration

As a Lawful Permanent Resident, can I file an I-130 petition for my family members?

Answer #1

It depends upon your relationship to that family member. As an LPR, you may only petition on behalf of your spouse, your children, and your unmarried sons and daughters (21 and older). An I-130, Immigrant Petition for Alien Relative will need to be filed for each qualifying family member.


Question #2 - General

Can I change my employer once I receive my Green Card or is there a waiting period?

Answer #2
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