Month: January 2008

The USCIS has released its latest Application and Receipting Update.

According to the update:  “As of January 4, 2008, USCIS had completed initial data entry and issued receipt notices for applications and petitions except for I-130s (Petition for Alien Relative) which are being receipted at the Chicago Lockbox facility.”

A friendly reminder from the DHS:  “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reminds travelers that beginning January 31, 2008, border crossers will be asked to present documents denoting citizenship and identity when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry. This change primarily affects United States and Canadian citizens, who have previously been permitted entry by oral declaration alone, and marks the transition toward standard and consistent documents for all travelers entering the country. It is also the start of a more robust and concerted public education campaign, intended to inform travelers of document requirements which will be implemented next year.”

The USCIS has released the Written Testimony Prepared by Emilio T. Gonzalez, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before the House Judiciary Committee.

…President Dobbs.  According to usatoday.com:  “Add ‘Draft Lou Dobbs’ to the efforts by independents to bring another candidate into the presidential race.”

My guess is that any insinuation by Lou Dobbs that he might run is not credible and such statements would be made solely to boost his television ratings and sell more books.

According to an opinion piece on azcentral.com: “A Rocky Mountain Poll of Maricopa County residents conducted late last year found that 66 percent think politicians are turning illegal immigration into ‘an ugly racial issue.'”

According to an Associated Press article:  “Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., had pressured Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Homeland Security Department, to seek permission to rehire … retirees. The permission was granted Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management.”

Hopefully the agency will get through most of the backlog in time for the November elections.

According to an opinion piece by Linda Chavez that appeared on dallasnews.com:  “Arizona has been ground zero in the fight against illegal immigration – but a funny thing happened earlier this month when a new anti-illegal-immigrant state law went into effect. Nothing.”

Apparently the high volume of complaints that was expected after the law passed never materialized.  Employers can expect complaints from a few disgruntled employees so I believe the number of reports will increase.  However, the passion on the issue of illegal immigration fizzled once the law was on the books.

The State Department has released Visa Bulletin for February 2008.

Accordimg to AILA:  “The DOL rule establishing a 180-day validity period for labor certifications approved before July 16, 2007, sets January 12, 2008, as the expiration date for those labor certifications, and establishes that an I-140 must be filed with the USCIS prior to the expiration of the labor certification. USCIS Service Center Operations (SCOPS) has informed AILA that all I-140s must be received by the Service Centers by close of business (5pm) on January 11, 2008 in order to qualify under the DOL January 12, 2008 cut off.”

AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 08010967 (posted Jan. 9, 2008)

The following is a USCIS Press Release:

USCIS ANNOUNCES IMPROVEMENTS FOR
E-VERIFY TELEPHONE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE
Strengthening the Employment Eligibility Document Review Process for the Nation’s Employers
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced efforts o expand and improve contact services for customers to obtain important information and assistance on the E-Verify program.

Beginning today, E-Verify will expand the available hours for customers to reach program
support by utilizing the USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC). Employers and
others requesting information on E-Verify can contact the program through NCSC by calling the E-Verify program number at (888) 464-4218 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday-Friday,
regardless from which time zone the call originates.

By using a ‘tiered’ call handling process through the National Customer Service Center, USCIS is able to reduce wait times for customers. Routine calls will be handled by agents assigned at the NCSC, while more complex issues will be transferred directly to analysts assigned to the USCIS E-Verify program in Washington, D.C.

In the coming months, USCIS will offer additional access methods for E-Verify customers. In addition, USCIS will proactively call new E-Verify customers within 24-48 hours of registration to offer additional information and instructions.  E-Verify, formerly known as the Basic Pilot employment eligibility verification program, is a free Web-based system that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees. The program electronically compares new employee information taken from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) against more than 425 million records in the Social Security Administration’s database and more than 60 million records in the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration databases.

More than 43,000 employers are currently enrolled in the program – with an average of 1,000
joining each week. Details on the program are available on the E-Verify Web site at
www.uscis.gov/e-verify.