Important Office Closure Information from USCIS
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In order to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), USCIS has temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) through May 4, 2020, unless the public closures are extended further.
Employees in these offices will continue to perform services that do not require face-to-face contact, and USCIS will continue to provide limited emergency services. Please call the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 for help with emergency services.
USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners who have scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies affected by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the temporary office closure. A new appointment letter will be sent in the mail.
Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center when field offices reopen to the public. Please check to see if the office in your jurisdiction has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center.
USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance. Please also visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates.
Important Office Closure Information from USCIS
Posted by
In order to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), USCIS has temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) through May 4, 2020, unless the public closures are extended further.
Employees in these offices will continue to perform services that do not require face-to-face contact, and USCIS will continue to provide limited emergency services. Please call the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 for help with emergency services.
USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners who have scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies affected by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the temporary office closure. A new appointment letter will be sent in the mail.
Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center when field offices reopen to the public. Please check to see if the office in your jurisdiction has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center.
USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance. Please also visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates.
The post Important Office Closure Information from USCIS appeared first on The Bortel Firm.
Source: Old Bortel Law Blog
In-person Appointments at the Bortel Firm Suspended for 1 Month
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In light of the current Corona Virus Pandemic, the Bortel Firm will not be holding in-person appointments for the next month. During this time, our staff will be working remotely. All phone calls and emails will be answered.
Immigration court and USCIS have made temporary changes to their office hours and processes. Please plan to attend all scheduled interviews and hearings, or reschedule, as notified by them.
USCIS has closed its offices to the public, with the possibility to schedule emergency appointments, through at least April 1, 2020. Check the link below for the most up-to-date information.
https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
For EOIR, “All non-detained hearings scheduled through April 10, 2020, have been postponed” and “All Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) master calendar and merit hearings presently scheduled through April 22 will be rescheduled.” Please visit the link below for more specific information, and to check the operational status of immigration court locations.
https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-operational-status-during-coronavirus-pandemic
The post In-person Appointments at the Bortel Firm Suspended for 1 Month appeared first on The Bortel Firm.
Source: Old Bortel Law Blog
In-person Appointments at the Bortel Firm Suspended for 1 Month
Posted by
In light of the current Corona Virus Pandemic, the Bortel Firm will not be holding in-person appointments for the next month. During this time, our staff will be working remotely. All phone calls and emails will be answered.
Immigration court and USCIS have made temporary changes to their office hours and processes. Please plan to attend all scheduled interviews and hearings, or reschedule, as notified by them.
USCIS has closed its offices to the public, with the possibility to schedule emergency appointments, through at least April 1, 2020. Check the link below for the most up-to-date information.
https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
For EOIR, “All non-detained hearings scheduled through April 10, 2020, have been postponed” and “All Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) master calendar and merit hearings presently scheduled through April 22 will be rescheduled.” Please visit the link below for more specific information, and to check the operational status of immigration court locations.
https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-operational-status-during-coronavirus-pandemic
USCIS extends TPS for Liberians, Guineans and Sierra Leoneans
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USCIS announced today that Liberians, Guineans and Sierra Leoneans will now qualify for TPS status based on the tragic ebola epidemic in those countries. You can read the announcement here on the USCIS website.
You must show that you have been here in the United States as of November 20, 2014. The 180-day TPS registration period begins Nov. 21, 2014 and runs through May 20, 2015.
There are many requirements, so make sure that you speak to an immigration attorney about your particular case before you apply because there is always a risk of deportation from the United States when applying for anything from USCIS. Our firm handles TPS cases and would be happy to hear from you.
LINK for President Obama’s live announcement TONIGHT!
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Tonight President Obama will make a big announcement about the executive action he will take to protect millions of people from deportation. You can watch it here at 7pm Central Standard Time tonight!
Immigration Equality FAQs for Same-Sex Bi-National Couples Post-DOMA decision.
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The excellent non-profit group, Immigration Equality, has published a useful list of FAQs for bi-national, same-sex couples wondering how the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Section of the Defense of Marriage Act will affect them. You can read it here.
This is NOT a substitute for specific legal advice about your case. It is really important to get advice about your case before proceeding with any application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services since there is
Free Consultations for Couples Impacted by DOMA decision.
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For a limited time, The Bortel Firm, LLC, will offer free consultations to same-sex, bi-national couples to give couples accurate information about their case in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”). See our earlier post about DOMA being struck down here. We will offer free consultations through August 31, 2013.
We will be available to couples anywhere in the United States. Or if you are abroad because you could not stay with your partner or spouse in the United States, we can speak to you, too.
Please contact us at 888-328-8384 or lbari@bortelfirm.com to schedule an appointment in person, by telephone or by Skype (bortlelfirm). We can speak English, Arabic, Spanish, French and Russian.
Supreme Court Strikes down DOMA!
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In a hugely anticipated decision, the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on June 26, 2013. You can read the decision here.
This now opens the door for same-sex, bi-national couples to petition for legal permanent residence (also known as a green card) for their partner as long as they are otherwise eligible. This may also open up other avenues for relief to individuals in immigration proceedings based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
It remains important to discuss your particular case with a qualified, friendly immigration lawyer to make sure you understand the risks and benefits, and your general eligibility. There is always a risk of deportation when applying for immigration relief. If your foreign national partner is in immigration proceedings or was in immigration proceedings in the past, you should be sure to talk to an attorney as soon as possible to ensure that you do not lose the ability to act on the elimination of DOMA.
Please call our office at 888-328-8384 to schedule a consultation with our attorney, Angela Bortel, who is the chair of the Minnesota-Dakotas AILA chapter LGBT sub-committee.
New provisional wavier process to start.
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On January 2, 2013, USCIS announced new rules to finally begin processing of provisional I-601 waivers for people who are applying for immigrant visas outside the United States. This process seeks to reduce the time families are separated while their case is being decided.
Here is some important information from the American Immigration Lawyers Association about these waivers:
Six Things You Need to Know about Stateside Processing of I-601A Waivers
Please note that these are only available if the person needs a waiver for unlawful presence. U.S. consulates abroad will continue to process all other types of waivers. Remember that you should discuss your case with a qualified immigration attorney before taking any action on your case, because there is always a risk of deportation or that you will not be able to get back into the United States if your case is not properly prepared.
