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USCIS
to expand premium processing service
August
28, 2006 - Washington, DC
The
USCIS has announced the addition of two new classifications
to the Premium Processing Service, which allows
U.S. businesses
to pay a $1,000 Premium Processing fee in exchange for
15-calendar-day processing of their
case.
Starting
on August 28, USCIS began accepting Premium Processing
requests for petitions involving two employment-based
immigration “categories” within the third employment-based
“preference.” Those categories involve EB-3 Professionals,
(immigrant workers with bachelor degrees who are members of
the professions), and EB-3 Skilled Workers, (immigrant
workers capable of performing skilled labor requiring at
least two years of education, training or experience).
Premium Processing is not available to “other workers” in
the EB-3 category for jobs that do not require two years of
education, training or experience.
Under
the Premium Processing Service, USCIS guarantees petitioners
that, for a $1,000 processing fee, it will issue either an
approval notice, or where appropriate, a notice of intent to
deny, a request for evidence or open an investigation for
fraud or misrepresentation, within 15 calendar days of
receipt. If the petition is not processed within 15 calendar
days, USCIS will refund the $1,000 fee and continue to
process the request as part of the Premium Processing
Service. In addition to faster processing, petitioners who
participate in the program may use a dedicated phone number
and e-mail address to check on the status of their petition
or ask any other questions they may have concerning their
petition. Premium Processing Service continues to be
available for the designated classifications
within
Form
I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant
Worker.
Please
contact our office at 603/ 228-1277 for more information
about Premium Processing, or to speak with one of our
attorneys to find out how these new classifications may
affect you or someone you
know.
Proposed
Legislation Would Grant TPS to Nationals of
Lebanon
On August 1,
2006, in response to the crisis in Lebanon, U.S. Senators
Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Sununu (R-NH) introduced the
bipartisan Lebanese Temporary Protected Status Act of 2006
(S. 3765) which would direct the designation of Lebanon for
TPS based on the armed conflict under INA Section
244(b)(1)(A) and the existence of extraordinary and
temporary conditions under INS Section 244(b)(1)(C). The Durbin-Sununu
bill would allow Lebanese currently in the
U.S. to
remain in this country for an initial twelve-month period
due to ongoing hostilities in Lebanon.
In his floor
statement, Senator Durbin noted that the hostilities in the
Middle East have already cost many innocent Israeli and
Lebanese lives and cited the ongoing urgent humanitarian
crisis in Lebanon. According to the
United Nations, an estimated 700,000 people – almost 20
percent of the country’s population – have been displaced
from their homes and widespread damage to infrastructure of
the country has had “severe implications on the ability to
deliver humanitarian assistance to those most in need.” According to
Catholic Relief Services, many of those who have been
displaced have taken refuge in mosques, churches and schools
and stocks of basic food and relief items are
dwindling.
If this
legislation passes, we will be sure to notify
you.
Deadlines
approach for CGFNS 2006-2007 Certification Program (CP)
Qualifying Exam Dates
The
deadlines are approaching for internationally educated
registered nurses who wish to take the November 8, 2006 and
March 14, 2007 Certification Program Qualifying Exam of
nursing knowledge, required for licensure in the majority of
U.S. states.
CGFNS
has announced the dates of its Qualifying Exam for
2006-2007. Application deadlines listed below cannot be
extended. The dates and deadlines are as
follows:
|
Examination
Date |
Deadline
for NEW Applications |
Deadline
for Re-Applications |
Location/Test
Date Change Deadline |
|
*
September 20, 2006 |
June 21,
2006 |
July 19,
2006 |
July 12,
2006 |
|
November
8, 2006 |
August 9,
2006 |
September
15, 2006 |
August
30, 2006 |
|
March 14,
2007 |
December
13, 2006 |
January
10, 2007 |
January
3, 2007 |
|
July 11,
2007 |
April 11,
2007 |
May 9,
2007 |
May 2,
2007 |
|
*
September 19, 2007 |
June 20,
2007 |
July 18,
2007 |
July 11,
2007 |
|
November
14, 2007 |
August
15, 2007 |
September
12, 2007 |
September
5,
2007 |
For the
complete and most up-to-date information from CGFNS, please
see our Online Resources below.
FCCPT
acknowledges that improvements for the future may result in
temporary delays
The Foreign Credentialing Commission on
Physical Therapy (FCCPT) has indicated that while it is in
the process of making updates to better serve its applicants
in the future, the transition for August and September may
delay its ability, at times, to respond to phone or e-mail
questions. FCCPT will respond as soon as information is
available and has indicated that an email to help@fccpt.org will be the most effective way to ask a
question. It may take up to 72 hours to
respond. | |
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USCIS
notifies clients of case transfers
To meet the
needs of customers more efficiently, USCIS periodically
shifts work from one service center to another in order to
balance workload with capacity. Due to unusually high
workload surges, the Vermont Service Center (VSC) recently
transferred nearly 5,000 Petitions for Nonimmigrant Workers
(Form I-129) to the Texas Service Center (TSC). VSC also
transferred approximately 22,000 Petitions for Alien
Relatives (Form I-130) to the California Service Center. Customers
should not be alarmed if they receive notices from the
Texas or California Service Center about a case
they initially mailed to VSC. When customers receive such a
notice, they should route any questions about their case to
the service center from which they received their last
notice. Other than receiving correspondence from a different
location, this is designed to be a seamless change for USCIS
customers.
Introducing
Our Staff
Emelia
Smallidge is our new Administrative Assistant. She received
her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology with a minor in
Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire in May
2004. While at UNH, she completed a thesis focusing on
social networks among Sudanese and Congolese refugees in
Manchester, New
Hampshire. Since graduation, she
has, among other things, worked for a law firm specializing
in Social Security disability and traveled to
Scotland where
she obtained certification in teaching English as a second
language. Emelia joined GoffWilson this June. You probably
have spoken with her when you telephoned the office. She
provides assistance to clients, attorneys and other
staff.
Emelia enjoys
sharing an apartment with her friend Heather and cat,
Meowzah. She loves spending time with friends and family, as
well as tutoring English as a second language in her spare
time. Welcome,
Emelia! | |
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