Immigration News & Updates
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eNewsletter POSTING DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
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Immigration News & Updates eNewsletter © 2011 - 2016
For questions about U.S. Residency, Green Cards and Immigration Visas, Visit our Website at: www.ImmigrateToday.com or call our office at: (954) 382-5378
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Immigration
Questions & Answers
Question: I recently immigrated to Florida and have my Residency. Now I need your guidance to make my family issue be a success. My husband and I have been married for many years, but he was not eligible to get a green card along with me because he has been living here in Florida and overstayed his visa several years ago. My son who is 22 years old, and he likewise overstayed his visa as well. As a new green card holder, is it possible that I can be your client in helping me filing for their green cards as soon possible. My son is over 21, is there a chance for him to go through or is there an easy way that you can recommend, that his case will not be too lengthy? Keep up the good work. I will be your client soon. please reply. god bless you.
This Week's Immigration News
This Year’s Visa (Green Card) Lottery Begins On October 4th, 2016!
This Year’s Visa Lottery called DV-2018 begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 12:00 noon, Eastern/Standard time (EST), and concludes on Monday, November 7, 2016 at 12:00 noon, (EST).
The Department of State has released instructions for the DV 2018 lottery which explains eligibility and procedures for applying online.
USCIS Changes Filing Requirements For
Naturalization Applicants
The USCIS recently changed its filing requirements for Naturalization applications and no longer requires the submission of Passport Photos with applications.
All Naturalization applicants applying in the U.S. will instead have their photographs digital done at the USCIS Application Support Center during their biometrics appointment, regardless of their age.
Answer: Sorry to hear that your husband and son have immigration issues. Now that you are a U.S. Resident, you can file to sponsor both your husband and son. Generally, spouses and children of Residents (Green Card holders) are not eligible to adjust status in the U.S., once they have overstayed and are no longer in legal immigration status. However, under new policies, a Waiver may be available, but not until the “Priority Date” becomes current for the family member you are sponsoring. Spouses of Residents have an Immigrant Visa waiting line of about 1 ½ years. Adult, single children are about 6+ years.
So if no other immigration reform in the coming years offers a solution, the provisional Waiver may allow both your husband and son to obtain Residency once their Priority Dates become current. My best recommendation is that we petition for them now, to get them in the waiting queue. The longer you wait, the longer the waiting line. You can give me a call today and we can discuss it further.
Changes in eligibility this year: Ecuador is now eligible for DV-2018. Countries not qualifying are: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. However, if you were born in one of these ineligible countries and neither of your parents was born there, and they were not legal residents of that country at the time of your birth, you can still qualify by using the country of birth of either of your parents to apply.
To qualify, applicants must #1: Be born in a qualifying country or qualify by claiming a parent or spouse’s eligible country, and #2: Meet the education/work experience requirement by having either: at least a high school education or equivalent, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of qualifying training or experience. Only one entry is allowed for each person and those with more than one entry will be disqualified. See the DV-2018 Questions and Answers for more details.
Remember, the DV Lottery is always FREE and no paper applications are accepted. Lottery applications are required to be filed online through the official Department of State DV Lottery Website. Once the online entry is made, applicants receive a Confirmation Number, which allows them to return to the official government website and check the status of their entry through the “Entrant Status Check” at: dvlottery.state.gov once the winners are selected May 2, 2017, through September 30, 2018. There will be no other official notification. The program does not send notification emails or letters and never directs applicants or winners to wire money under any circumstances. Beware of websites claiming to be official Lottery sites and paralegals, which charge a fee for entry, since they are not affiliated with the official U.S. Department of State and may be scams. Only sites that end in .gov are government sites. Apply yourself – its FREE and now, easy!
Apply For the 2018 Diversity Visa Lottery on the Official site when it becomes available on Oct 4th
Download the 2018 DV Lottery Instructions which provides full details on eligibility and the application process
New Report Shows Immigrants Have An Overwhelming
Positive Impact On The U.S. Economy
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) recently issued a report which confirms that Immigrants and their descendants make valuable contributions to “economic growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship” in the U.S..
Called: The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration, the report provides a comprehensive study on the economic impact of immigration. The study concludes that Immigrants and their children are vital to providing new workers and taxes to support the U.S. economy and social security contributions for the benefit for Baby Boomers as they age and retire.
Immigration How To:
What Happens If I Did Not Register For Selective Service When I Was Required To?
Selective Service Late Registration And Naturalization Eligibility
Men who live in the U.S. or who get a green card at any time between the ages of 18 and 26, are required to register with the U.S. Selective Service System, to be called up in a military draft if ever needed. Those exempt include men between 18 and 26 who were only here in a nonimmigrant visa status, like tourists, students, etc. Strangely, undocumented or illegal aliens are required to register. The issue of Selective Service Registration generally comes up for Immigrants who apply for Naturalization and are required to list their Selective Service Registration information. And since failing to register for Selective Service can result in Naturalization denial for failure to show good moral character, it’s a very important issue for those to whom it applies.
For some, it’s not too late to register: Men preparing to apply for Naturalization (U.S. Citizenship) who failed to register for the Selective Service in the past, but who are not yet age 26, can still register online. However, those who have passed age 26, are not eligible to register and must face the potentially negative immigration consequences of passing the required registration date. For those who failed to register, the easiest thing to do may be to wait until you are age 31 to apply for Naturalization so you have five years of good moral character or 29 years of age to show three years of good moral character (if you have been married to and living with a U.S. citizen).
If you don’t want to wait, you will need to prove to the officer that you did not know you were supposed to register and that you didn’t “willfully” fail to register. To do this, you can submit the following along with your naturalization application:
1) Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System (obtained from the Selective Service System website or by calling 847-688-6888.)
2) your sworn declaration, and sworn declarations from people who knew you, attesting to the reasons why you failed to learn about and did not know about the requirement to register or believed you were automatically registered.
Helpful Immigration Hints You Can Use
Make A USCIS e-Request
For Inquiries On Pending Cases
The USCIS offers customers with pending cases the option of sending an electronic e-Request for information using an electronic inquiry form on the USCIS Website. In order to make an inquiry, you will need to have the case number, form type, filing date, zip code on file and other information.
