It is our pleasure to introduce our readers to our esteemed Paralegal and Case Manager Katie Foley who has worked at the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick since 2010. Ms. Foley, originally from Santa Cruz, California holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from Cal State East Bay and…
Articles Posted in Employment Based Petitions
Addition of Sixteen New Countries Eligible for the H-2A and H-2B programs
This week USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the addition of sixteen new countries that will be eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs next year. Nationals from the following countries: Andorra, Belgium, Brunei, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San…
AILA Government Open Forum Updates
By Yingfei Zhou, Esq. Last week, attorneys Yingfei Zhou, Esq. and Marie Puertollano, Esq. from our office attended the 28th AILA California Chapter Conference on Immigration Law held in San Diego, California. Together, they brought our audiences the latest updates on various issues discussed at the government open forums. USCIS…
December Visa Bulletin: Announcements and Projections EB-2 India, EB-2 and EB-3 China, F-2A, and F-2B
The December visa bulletin was recently released by the DOS on November 9, 2015. For the month of December CIS has announced that family based applicants must use the ‘date of filing’ chart to determine when their adjustment of status applications may be filed. This means that for family based…
Visa Bulletin Fiasco: House Democrats Demand Action from DOS
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson On October 28, 2015 sixteen Democrats from the House of Representatives including —Zoe Lofgren, Michael M. Honda, Judy Chu, Katherine M. Clark, Elijah E. Cummings, Anna G. Eshoo, Tulsi Gabbard, Luis V. Gutierrez, James A. Himes, Ruben Hinojosa, Eddie B. Johnson, James P. McGovern,…
Staff Spotlight: Lupe Lopez, Operations Manager and Paralegal
It is our pleasure to introduce our incredibly skilled operations manager and immigration consultant, Lupe Lopez. If you have called or stopped by our San Diego office for a consultation, chances are you have already met with her to discuss your needs. Throughout her immigration career, Ms. Lopez has assisted…
What’s New in Immigration?
It is our pleasure to bring you the latest in immigration news including recent USCIS announcements, workload updates, tips, and important reminders to avoid delays in application processing or rejections. For more information please contact our office. Comment Period for Proposed USCIS Form Revisions: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)…
USCIS Disclaimer Appears on November Visa Bulletin
Photograph taken at Ellis Island Further changes have been made to the November Visa Bulletin published earlier this month by the Department of State. The dual chart system remains in place including the ‘final action date’ chart and ‘date of filing’ chart. So what has changed? USCIS has become more…
Sign the White House Petition to Restore Initial Dates of Filing beginning with the October Visa Bulletin
Last week, we reported to our readers that on September 25th the Department of State and USCIS re-issued the October Visa Bulletin and changed the date of filing chart drastically, rolling back the ‘Dates of Filing’ for heavily used visa categories, including employment based and family-sponsored petitions. The American Immigration…
UPDATE: Government Shutdown Averted: Congress extends the EB-5, Conrad 30, and Religious Worker Programs until December 11, 2015
Great news for regional center investors, medical doctors applying for a J-1 visa waiver under the Conrad 30 Waiver Program, and religious workers; a federal government shutdown has been avoided—at least until December 11, 2015. As reported in our previous blog earlier this week, Congress was faced with the challenge…