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The Basics of Getting a Green Card through Employment

In an employment-based permanent residence (green card) process, both employer and employee must qualify under U.S. immigration laws. On the one hand, the U.S. employer needs to demonstrate that there are no U.S. Citizens or permanent residents in the state who are ready, willing and able to do the work that the foreign employee is being hired to do at the prevailing wage. On the part of the employee, he/she must demonstrate that he/she is qualified for the position in terms of either academic, work experience or a combination of both.   There are 3 steps to obtaining a Green Card ...

How Do I Extend My Stay?

Overview When you enter the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa, such as on a visitor (B), student (F1), temporary worker visa (H-1B; L; E etc.), you are allowed to be present in the U.S. for a specific purpose and for a limited time period. The time period allowed will typically be stamped by a U.S. immigration inspector after the inspector has examined your passport and visa. The inspector will provide you with a Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) which is normally a white card stapled inside your passport. This record should indicate when you must leave the U.S. When you leave the U.S. ...

USCIS Reports Processing Delays

Earlier this year, our office sent an advisory to clients, friends and community members on our email list to inform them of a scheduled increase in immigration filing fees. We encouraged anyone thinking of filing for naturalization (citizenship) in particular to file if they were eligible. We submitted many petitions and applications for our clients just before the July 30, 2007, deadline. Because of the increase in applications, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an advisory stating that the tremendous increase in applications has created a backlog in their ...