Immigration
Napolitano: Deportation reviews to begin shortly
The Obama administration soon will begin
Department of Homeland Security
its systematic review of the approximately 300,000 pending deportation cases, separating “high priority” cases involving criminals it wants to deport from “low priority” cases it will drop, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Congress Wednesday.
The effort marks another point in an evolution of immigration enforcement away from the worksite raids of the Bush administration and towards deportations of illegal immigrants in prisons and jails.
Napolitano said a group of Homeland Security and Justice Department officials will begin a small “pilot” review of immigration cases in “two or three” weeks, and hopes to rapidly expand its efforts.
Immigration Fees and Forms
Fees for Visa Services
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html
Immigration Forms
File My Application Online (E-Filing)
Forms Currently Available for E-Filing
The forms below are available for e-filing, with some restrictions.
- I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Residence Card
- I-131 Application for Travel Document
- I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
- I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
- I-765 Application for Employment Authorization
- I-821 Application for Temporary Protected Status
For more details, this page can be found at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-filing
Many people become permanent residents through a job or offer of employment. Some categories require a certification from the U.S. Department of Labor to show that there are not enoughUSworkers who are able, willing, qualified and available in the geographic area where the immigrant is to be employed and that no American workers are displaced by foreign workers. In other cases, highly skilled workers, those with extraordinary ability in certain professions, and investors/entrepreneurs are given priority to immigrate through several immigrant categories. In all cases, the process involves several steps.
The main ways to immigrate based on a job offer or employment are listen below. For more information on the categories below, see the links to the left under “Green Card Through a Job.”
Green Card Through a Job Offer
You may be eligible to become a permanent resident based on an offer of permanent employment in theUnited States. Most categories require an employer to get a labor certification and then file a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, for you.
Green Card Through Investment
Green cards may be available to investors/entrepreneurs who are making an investment in an enterprise that creates new US jobs.
Green Card Through Self Petition
Some immigrant categories allow you to file for yourself (“self-petition”). This option is available for either “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” or certain individuals granted a National Interest Waiver.
Green Card Through Special Categories of Jobs
There are a number of specialized jobs that may allow you to get a green card based on a past or current job. All of these require a Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, and are described in Section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Emergency Appointments
In cases where an applicant has an urgent and unforeseen need for travel to the US, it is possible to request an earlier appointment from the Consular Section. Please check the Embassy’s guidelines below to determine if you qualify for an expedited interview appointment.
Emergency Guidelines:
- Serious illness or death of a family member in theUS(family members are the applicant’s parents, spouse, child, brother or sister)
- Emergency medical treatment due to serious and unexpected events, including accompanying persons (e.g. parent of a sick child)
- Emergency business travel. This rule does not apply to groups of five or more applicants who have special appointment and interview procedure.
- Emergency student or exchange visitor travel (in case a student or exchange visitor is unable to schedule an appointment before their program begins)
- The purpose of travel is in theUSgovernment interest, is sponsored by theUSor Armenian government
Immigrant Visa Services
General Information
The Consular Section of the US Embassy in Yerevan has been processing immigrant visas since February 2006 for residents of Armenia
What is an immigrant visa?
An immigrant visa is a document issued by a US consular officer abroad that allows you to travel to the United States and apply for admission as a legal permanent resident (LPR). An immigrant inspector of US Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security makes the final decision as to whether or not to admit you as an LPR. Once you are admitted as an LPR, you generally have the right to live and work in the United States permanently. US Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security will mail your permanent resident card (often called a “green card”) to your new address in the United States, usually within three months of your entry into the United States.
What are the basic paths that lead to an immigrant visa?
There are three basic methods for obtaining an immigrant visa: 1) through a family relationship with a US citizen or permanent resident or 2) through employment or 3) through the Diversity Visa Program (the green card lottery). Most applicants in Armenia obtain their immigrant visas via family relationships and the Diversity Visa Program.
The process to receive family- or employment based immigrant visas begins in the United States with a petition filed by your American citizen or LPR family member or potential employer with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. Your relative or potential employer generally must file a petition by mail at the USCIS Service Center in the United States with jurisdiction over his or her place or residence. Once your relative or potential employer has filed a petition for you, you may check its status by accessing the USCIS Case Status Search Page and entering your USCIS receipt number. When the petition is approved, the petitioner and you, the beneficiary will receive a notice of approval in the mail (form letter I-797 Notice of Action/Approval) advising that the case file is being sent to the Department of State (National Visa Center) for further administrative processing. NVC will contact the petitioner to request any required additional financial information and documentation. Once this work is completed, NVC forwards cases electronically and my courier to a US Embassy or Consulate abroad for final processing and the applicant’s immigrant visa interview, which is conducted by a US consular officer.