USCIS Opens Verification Center in Buffalo, New York

The USCIS recently opened a verification center in Buffalo, NY. The verification center will employ 135 individuals and will have the sole mission of verifying immigration status for the E-Verify and Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) programs. According to Michael Aytes, USCIS Acting Deputy Director, participation has increased fivefold in the last three years.

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DHS to Exchange Immigration Data With Canada

The Department of Homeland Security has announced initiatives to share immigration data with Canadian immigration officials. The initiative is meant to increase the border security of both countries and to better streamline travel between the two countries.

For more information, please read the DHS press release.

670,000 Foreign National Students In the United States

by Sasikiran 10

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is reporting that there is a record number of foreign national students who are currently studying within the United States. According to the agency, over 670,000 students are studying here. The agency is trotting this number to demonstrate the United States’ ability to maintain a …

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K-1 Visa Couple Delayed Almost Two Years Due to USCIS Mistake

Immigration lawyer Chris Gafner recently reviewed a May 27, 2009 K-1 Visa decision that demonstrates just how long a couple might be forced to wait if their K-1 visa is not properly handled. Not involved in the couple’s representation, Gafner Law Firm learned that the couple’s first consulate interview (where the mistake occurred) was in …

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I-9 Audits Directed at Vermont Dairy Farms

Word came down late last week that at least five Vermont Dairy Farms have been served with subpoenas from the Immigration Enforcement Agency (ICE). The subpoenas are part of an I-9 audit that is being conducted on the dairy farms. An I-9 audit is a review of a company’s documentation concerning its employee’s authorization to …

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ICE To Review 1000 Companies For I-9 Compliance

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced yesterday that it will investigate 1000 additional companies for I-9 compliance. This announcement comes on the heels of a May announcement when it announced that it would investigate 500 companies. The investigation will consist of an I-9 audit of the company’s records. The audit is meant to …

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Recent K-1 Visa Decision Shows Need For Retaining K-1 Visa Lawyer

Recent K-1 Visa Decision Shows Lack of K-1 Visa Lawyer Led to Extended Separation for U.S. Citizen and Nigerian Fiancee

Immigration attorney Chris Gafner recently reviewed a June 4, 2009 AAO decision concerning a U.S. Citizen and his Nigerian fiancee. The case demonstrates why couples should retain a K-1 visa lawyer to represent them in …

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H-1B Numbers Closing In On Annual Cap

H-1B Numbers Closing In On Annual Cap

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has announced that H-1B filings for the fiscal year are increasing and that only a tad over 10,000 H-1B visa slots remain available for the current fiscal year. The annual cap is 65,000 for normal H-1B visas. H-1B visa filings …

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Immigration Lawyer Chris Gafner Publishes Article on K-1 Visa Waiver Requirements

Immigration Lawyer Chris Gafner Publishes Article on K-1 Visa Waiver Requirements

Immigration Lawyer Chris Gafner recently published “The K-1 Visa: Recent AAO Decisions Concerning Waivers of the Meeting Requirement” in Bender’s Immigration Bulletin. The article, written for other immigration attorneys, examines recent government decisions on whether a U.S. citizen and his or her foreign national …

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Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Coming Soon?

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Coming Soon?

Last night I attended a panel discussion about comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). The panelists discussed the need for immigration reform, their desires for what would be included in immigration reform, what will likely be included in immigration reform, and the big question of when comprehensive immigration reform might happen.

The …

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Dairy Farmers In Need of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Dairy Farmers In Need of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

I recently read an article that demonstrated America’s pervasive need for comprehensive immigration reform. The article examines how dairy farmers in Minnesota cannot find American workers that are willing to work the long hours in tough conditions that is required to farm. These dairy farmers, who many …

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Pet Immigration

Pet Immigration

Picture taken by Verdlanco

Often overlooked, moving family pets across international borders requires both forethought and planning. Although not an expert in pet immigration (a term I may have just coined), the following provides information meant to ensure families are not needlessly separated from their pets.

Pet immigration is rather confusing as …

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Removal of Conditions to Residency: USCIS Issues Another Memorandum

Removal of Conditions to Residency: USCIS Issues Another Memorandum

The USCIS recently issued another memorandum addressing its procedure for removing the conditional residency of newly married foreign nationals and U.S. Citizens (I-751 Removal of Conditional Residency Petitions). This memorandum is not the first one to address removal of conditions to residency that USCIS has issued …

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US Supreme Court May Address State Immigration Laws

The U.S. Supreme Court has recently requested that the Department of Justice comment on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s challenge to Arizona immigration laws that penalized employers of unauthorized workers and required employers to participate in certain verification programs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues that federal laws encompass all of immigration law and that …

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I-9 Enforcement Raid Results in $1.5 Million Fine for Poultry Firm

ICE enforcement agents raided the House of Raeford Farms poultry firm last year and found evidence that the company had employed unauthorized employees. As part of a plea agreement, the poultry firm agreed to pay $1.5 million dollars in fines. The plea agreement allowed certain managers of the firm to avoid jail time due to …

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