Posts Tagged ‘Immigration Laws’

Important issues about the filing of I-485 adjustment application

The cutoff dates for employment based 2nd preference immigrant visa for China and India have advanced significantly for the past three months.  Since November 2011, the cutoff dates have leaped forwarded by more than 17 months to January 1, 2009.  The rapid advancement means that many EB-2 professionals and advance degree holders are able to submit their I-485 application to adjust status to that of legal resident of the United States.  Simultaneously the applicant may also apply for a general employment authorization document (EAD) and a travel document.   Upon approval of the I-485 application, the applicant will receive her permanent resident card (or green card).  There are some important issues related to this last step of the immigration process.

First and foremost, an applicant must ensure that she is not subject to any grounds of inadmissibility that would cause the denial of her green card.  The U.S.

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Seattle Immigration Lawyer | Are Immigration Benefits Available to Same-Sex Spouses?

One question that I have been asked as an immigration attorney is: what is the best way for a same-sex couple—when one person is a US citizen—to get married and live together in the US? Like the answer to many legal questions, the answer is not clear. The issue of how same-sex couples are treated under our immigration laws is currently being litigated and will probably have to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the next several years. As of right now, the immigration laws in the U.S. only recognize marriage as being between a man and a woman.

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It’s Good to Be an Immigration Lawyer

Last Friday was a great day. That evening, I rode the Amtrak from Portland to Seattle, heading back from the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Northwest Conference, newly invigorated from two days of classes crammed with the latest immigration law information. AILA conferences are truly a must for immigration lawyers who need to stay up-to-date on constantly changing and complex laws, policies, and practices. I attended the family-based immigration classes, which covered a wide array of topics, such as the latest in waivers and consular processing, international adoption, asylum and cancellation of removal.

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Thinking of migrating to the United States?

Indians who are thinking of migrating to the United States have a few options when it comes to the immigration process. If they have close relatives currently residing in the United States who are already permanent residents or citizens, they can have their family members sponsor them. Alternatively, if they have any special skills or work in a position which is in high demand in the United States, they may opt to apply for an employment-based visa.

There are five different categories of those eligible for employment-based visas with the code E1 (Employee First Preference) taking precedence over the other codes; namely E2, E3, E4 and E5.

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E-Verify enforced from Sep 8th

Effective the 8th of Sep 2009 all the federal contractors and the sub contractors would be required to start using the E Verify system. This E Verify system would be primarily used to by the contractors to verify the eligibility of their employees to be working in the United States. As an act of prudence in July 09, Janet Napolitano the secretary of the Homeland Security Department (DHS) announced the administration’s support for the regulation by confirming that federal contracts would only be offered to the employers who would choose to have the E Verify system to validate the eligibility status of their employees.

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