USCIS Blog Warns of Scammers using Caller ID Spoofing
USCIS’ blog, The Beacon, warns of a new scam propogated against USCIS petitioners/applicants:
“In recent weeks, we learned of a new telephone scam targeting USCIS applicants and petitioners. Scammers are using a technique called “Caller ID spoofing” to display a misleading or inaccurate phone number in a recipient’s Caller ID. The scammer poses as a USCIS official and requests personal information (such as Social Security number, passport number, or A-number), identifies supposed issues in the recipient’s immigration records, and asks for payment to correct these records.
If you receive a call like that, USCIS urges you to hang up immediately.
USCIS never asks for any form of payment or personal information over the phone. Do not give payment or personal information over the phone to anyone who claims to be a USCIS official. In general, we encourage you to protect your personal information and not to provide details about your immigration application in any public area.
If you have been a victim of this telephone scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, or report it to an appropriate state authority. (Visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams for information on where to report scams in your state.)
If you have a question about your immigration record, please call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283, or make an InfoPass appointment by visiting our website at http://infopass.uscis.gov/. “
We have received approvals on our PERM Reconsideration Requests filed subsequent to an “Agricultural Engineer” Denial
English: Experimental farm and Unit of Crop Production of the school of agricultural engineering of the Technical University of Madrid (Spain) Español: Campos de prácticas y edificio del Departamento de Producción Vegetal: Fitotecnia de la ETSI Agrónomos de Madrid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Our office has received approvals for PERM cases previously denied by DOL. DOL had indicated in the denial that using the term “Engineering” in advertising for an IT position was essentially overbroad, and that “the job requirements, as described, must represent the employer’s actual minimum requirements for the job opportunity.” The original DOL denial stated:
“the term “Engineering” implies that a degree in any engineering field would enable an applicant to qualify for the position of Senior Software Developer, when in fact, not all engineering degrees would provide an applicant with the necessary skills to perform the duties of a Senior Software Developer. For example, U.S. workers who have a degree in an engineering field like “Agricultural Engineering” are not likely to have the skills necessary to perform, in an acceptable manner, the duties involved in the Senior Software Developer position. Specifically, the curriculum for a degree in Agricultural Engineering focuses on educating students in the analysis and design of machinery, animal housing, and environmental systems for the production, processing, storage, handling, distribution, and use of food, feed, fiber and other biomaterials, and the management of related natural resources, by integrating basic physical and biological sciences with engineering design principles…Because the employer’s education requirements are so broad, the Certifying Officer is unable to determine if these requirements are normal to the position and/or if they are unduly restrictive. Therefore, the Certifying Officer has concluded that an applicant with any engineering degree would not have the skills necessary to perform the duties of the position in an acceptable manner, and as a result, is unable to determine the employer’s actual minimum requirements for the job opportunity.”
Following our reconsideration request, the DOL has approved/certified our client’s PERM cases.
Why Immigration Reform is Good for our Economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSYR6Z-RTT0&feature=youtu.be
From the White House White Board: Why Immigration Reform is Good for our Economy
USCIS Report: FY2012 Annual Report to Congress on Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers
FY2012 Annual Report to Congress on Characteristics of H-1B Workers
USCIS report to Congress on the characteristics of H-1B filings for FY2012, including statistics on country of birth and age of beneficiary, occupational categories and titles of approved petitions, annual compensation rates, and industry breakdowns.
A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill by the Immigration Policy Center
A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill by the Immigration Policy Center
A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill
Secretary of State John Kerry’s Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act
The U.S. Department of State applauds the Supreme Court’s decision striking down an unjust and discriminatory law and increasing freedom and equality for LGBT Americans.
As a Senator, I voted against DOMA in 1996 and argued that it was unconstitutional. As Secretary of State, I look forward to the work that now can and must be done to adjust rules and regulations that affect the many married Americans who were hurt by this law. While I am incredibly proud of the job that the State Department has done in ensuring equal benefits for our employees, there’s more to be done. To fully implement the requirements and implications of the Court’s decision, we will work with the Department of Justice and other agencies to review all relevant federal statutes as well as the benefits administered by this agency. We will work to swiftly administer these changes to ensure that every employee and their spouse have access to their due benefits regardless of sexual orientation both at home and abroad.
I am proud of the progress we’re making in this arena, and particularly proud that I work for a President who has helped to lead the way forward. From Stonewall to the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ despite setbacks along the way, the arc of our history on this issue has bent towards inclusion and equality, perhaps never more so than today.
PRN: 2013/0809
DOL Statistics on Prevailing Wage Applications for PERM/H-1B/H-2B Through June 15, 2013
DOL Statistics on Prevailing Wage Applications for PERM/H-1B/H-2B Through June 15, 2013
DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification factsheet with statistics on prevailing wage determination program for the second quarter of FY2013 through June 15, 2013.
Four of the top five occupations are in the Information Technology sector.
Press Release: AILA Commends Senate Judiciary Committee and Calls On Full Senate to Show Similar Commitment to Immigration Reform
Dirksen Senate Building room 226 from http://judiciary.senate.gov/information.cfm commons:category:United States Senate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
AILA PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras or Belle Woods
202-507-7649 / 202-507-7675
gtzamaras@aila.org / bwoods@aila.org
WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up weeks of work on immigration reform by passing S. 744 the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” out of committee by a bipartisan vote of 13 to 5 last night. At the end of the hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy said, “The dysfunction in our current immigration system affects all of us and it is long past time for reform. I hope that our history, our values, and our decency can inspire us finally to take action,” as he successfully concluded an unprecedented effort to open the immigration reform process to the public by making all amendments available online.
Canada exploits U.S. neglect of its Foreign Professional (H-1B) workers by offering Special Visa option
J. Kenney fields a question from a community member at the All Candidates Forum at McKenzie Lake Community Centre in Calgary’s Southeast on January 14th, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In recent years, U.S. immigration policy has repeatedly ignored the needs of its skilled and professional non-immigrant workforce and has instead burdened them with long waits for a green card, absurdly high query rates and illogical consular delays. Nowhere is more apparent than in the case of H-1B Professional workers. An Indian born Software Engineer currently faces a wait time of eleven (11) years to obtain an employment based third preference (EB-3) green card. In comparison, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill currently under negotiation in DC would provide millions of undocumented workers green cards in ten (10) years.
Just a month and a half after the U.S. turned away tens of thousands of specialized professionals (holding U.S. job offers) by refusing to increase its yearly H-1B quota levels, another nation has moved to reap the benefits of U.S. missteps.
Canada is aggressively appealing to these H-1B professional workers, even going to the extent of securing a billboard just outside Silicon Valley which reads:
“H-1B problems? Pivot to Canada. New Start-Up Visa, Low Taxes”
Non-Cap H-1B/I-129 Receipts Appear to be Taking 30+ Days
NCSC has apparently indicated that non-cap H-1B and other Form I-129 receipting is taking 30 days or more.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Issues Press Release Expressing Dissatisfaction with Portions of the Immigration Reform Bill
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a press release expressing his dissatisfaction with the “border triggers” in the bill.
The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin Sharma 
Update: USCIS has Issued a “Notice to Disregard” its previously issued I-485 RFEs asking Derivative Beneficiaries for Principle Applicant Evidence
By Ashwin Sharma, Esq. 07/01/201
Our firm has received several “Notices to Applicants” from USCIS today which confirmed our prediction that USCIS had erroneously issued the large numbers of I-485 Requests for Evidence (RFE) requesting Principle Applicant evidence (letter from employer, etc) from Derivative Applicant spouses. We thank USCIS for clarifying this situation quickly; these RFE’s caused a great deal of confusion among applicants and their attorneys, especially in light of the potential for upcoming PD movement.
The USCIS Notice to Applicant indicates the following:
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