USCIS Alert: Recent Telephone Scam USCIS alerted the public about a new telephone scam, where scammers use a technique to display false information on the recipient’s caller ID, leading the individual to believe that the caller is a USCIS official. Please keep in mind that the USCIS will never ask for any form of payment or personal information over the phone. |
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Reminder to start using the new Form I-9 As of May 7, 2013 May 7, 2013 Beginning today, Tuesday May 7th, all employers must start using the revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification form (Revision 03/08/13)N for all new hires and reverifications. The revision date of the new Form I-9 is printed on the lower left corner of the form. All employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each employee hired to work in the United States. Employers should not complete a new Form I-9 for existing employees, however, if a properly completed Form I-9 is already on file. The revised form, instructions and revised employer handbook are available online at www.uscis.gov/I-9. For more information, please call USCIS at 888-464-4218 or visit I-9 Central, a website maintained by USCIS to support Form I-9 users. USCIS has also scheduled free webinars to help employers learn about the new form. Employers may also order forms by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676. |
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CBP to Rollout New I-94 Process for Foreign Visitors April 30, 2013 CBP (U.S Customs and Border Protection) rolled out its new procedure to process the arrival/departure records (I-94’s) for foreign visitors. Foreign visitors arriving in the U.S via air or sea will be able to access all information online via CBP I94 record page At the time of arrival, if the online service has not arrived at the port of entry, CBP will continue to issue the paper I-94. CBP hopes to complete the phase in period during the month of April and May. With this new process, on arrival, every non-immigrant traveler coming via air or sea will be issued an admission stamp on their travel document stating their date of admission, class of admission, and the date of allowed time in U.S. The travelers will also receive an information flier detailing procedure on accessing the I-94 information online. This information is only for travelers coming via air and sea ports of entry, CBP will still issue a paper form I-94 at land border ports of entry. |
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State Dept. Introduces Visa Status Check Online The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs has launched "Visa Status Check" online. Users can check their U.S. visa application status at the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) on the site by entering the type and case number. The service is available at https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx The CEAC is available at https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC/ |
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The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is announcing a new initiative to make available to the general public appropriately redacted copies of H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B and permanent labor certification documents through its iCERT Visa Portal System. This new online tool, formally called the iCERT Labor Certification Registry (LCR), is a component of the Department of Labor's Open Government initiative and provides an additional level of transparency for the labor certification decisions issued by the ETA Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC). The iCERT LCR provides searchable access to copies of labor certification documents and labor condition application documents as well as the latest quarterly and annual case file datasets through a single location. Public access to the iCERT LCR will be available at http://icert.doleta.gov beginning July 1, 2013. |
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On Tuesday, November 29, 2011, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would eliminate the limits on the number of green cards based on employment that is available annually to each country. The "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act" (HR 3012) passed easily with a vote of 389 to 15 and will mostly benefit highly skilled immigrants from India and China. It would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants. |