THE CAP HAS NOT BEEN REACHED! USCIS CONTINUES TO ACCEPT H-1B PETITIONS

There are still a number of H1-B Visas available, but you will need to file now!
Contact Joseph Law Firm, P.C. at 303-297-9171 or at www.immigrationissues.com to inquire about the available H1-B visas.

USCIS announced it continues to accept H-1B nonimmigrant visa petitions subject to the fiscal year 2010 (FY 2010) cap. USCIS will continue to monitor the number of H-1B petitions received for both the 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 U.S. master's degree or higher educational exemption cap.

USCIS has received approximately 44,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. The agency continues to accept petitions subject to the general cap.

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AILA to Host the 4th Annual Immigrant Liberty Awards on June 19th, 2009

The Immigrant Liberty Awards honor the outstanding work of immigrants and their allies in Colorado. The proceeds from this event go to benefit the Rocky Mountain Survivors Center (RMSC) and the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN). The Joseph Family Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Click on the following links to view the invitation and registration form:

INVITATION

REGISTRATION FORM

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Joseph Law Firm, P.C. Receives Special Recognition from the Colorado Supreme Court

The firm was recognized by the Colorado Supreme Court Pro Bono Service Project. To receive the recognition, Joseph Law Firm, P.C. had to commit to 50 hours of pro bono service for each attorney in the law firm for 2008. This is the second year Joseph Law Firm, P.C. has been recognized for this pro bono service project.

Jeff D. Joseph, Esq. is pictured here with Colorado Supreme Court Justices Alex Martinez, Stephen Bender, Allison Eid and Gregory Hobbs.

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DOL ANNOUNCES NEW iCERT PORTAL SYSTEM FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT LABOR CERTIFICATIONS

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is announcing a new electronic system for submitting the Labor Condition Application (LCA) and the Application for Permanent Employment Certification.

The Department plans to initially activate the iCERT system for purposes of establishing user accounts and filing the new LCA form (9035E). The system will be located at http://icert.doleta.gov. On and after April 15, 2009, the iCERT portal will be available for the sumission of ETA 9035E (electronic LCA H-1B application). The current electronic LCA system will continue to be available through May 14, 2009. However, effective May 15, 2009, the LCA for the H-1B program will be available for submission only through the iCERT portal system.

The PERM application, FORM ETA 9089, will become available for application submission on September 1, 2009. To allow for an appropriate transition, both systems will be active during the month of September. However, beginning October 1, 2009, PERM applications will be submitted electronically only through iCERT system accounts.

For more information, visit the ETA website for the iCERT Factsheet.

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USCIS REMINDS ALL U.S. EMPLOYERS OF REQUIREMENTS TO USE REVISED FORM I-9, EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder that the revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Rev. 02/02/09), goes into effect on April 9th, 2009 for all U.S. employers. The revision date is printed on the lower right-hand corner of the form.

The interim final rule, published Dec.17, 2008 in the Federal Register, revised the list of documents acceptable for the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) process. Employers may no longer use previous versions of the Form I-9. Click Here to View and Download the Revised Form I-9.

The revised list improves the security and effectiveness of the Form I-9 process. The list specifies that expired documents are no longer acceptable forms of identification or employment authorization. Allowing for expired documents makes it more difficult for employers to verify an employee's identity and employment authorization and compromises the Form I-9 process.

USCIS also updated the Handbook for Employers - Instructions for Completing Form I-9 to reflect the requirements of the revised Form I-9. Employers who do not have computer access can order Forms I-9 by calling our toll-free forms line at 1-800-870-3676. USCIS forms and information on immigration laws, regulations, and procedures can also be requested by calling the National Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-375-5283.

For more information about this update, visit the USCIS website at: www.USCIS.gov

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OBAMA TO PUSH IMMIGRATION BILL AS ONE PRIORITY

While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country's immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal, a senior administration official said on Wednesday. Mr. Obama will frame the new effort - likely to rouse passions on all sides of the highly divisive issue - as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system," said the official, Cecilia Muñoz, deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs in the White House.

Mr. Obama plans to speak publicly about the issue in May, administration officials said, and over the summer he will convene working groups, including lawmakers from both parties and a range of immigration groups, to begin discussing possible legislation for as early as this fall.

He said then that comprehensive immigration legislation, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year in office. Latino voters turned out strongly for Mr. Obama in the election.

To read more about this story visit the New York Times Website at: www.NYTimes.com

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USCIS CONTINUES TO ACCEPT H-1B PETITIONS

There are still a number of H1-B Visas available, but you will need to file now!
Contact Joseph Law Firm, P.C. at 303-297-9171 to inquire about the available H1-B visas.

USCIS announced it continues to accept H-1B nonimmigrant visa petitions subject to the fiscal year 2010 (FY 2010) cap. USCIS will continue to monitor the number of H-1B petitions received for both the 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 U.S. master's degree or higher educational exemption cap.

USCIS has received approximately 42,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. The agency continues to accept petitions subject to the general cap.

Additionally, the agency has received approximately 20,000 petitions for aliens with advanced degrees; however, we continue to accept advanced degree petitions since experience has shown that not all petitions received are approvable. Congress mandated that the first 20,000 of these types of petitions are exempt from any fiscal year cap on available H-1B visas.

Petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers, who have been counted previously against the cap, will not count toward the congressionally mandated FY 2010 H-1B cap.
Therefore, USCIS will continue to process petitions filed to:

- Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the United States.

- Change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers.

- Allow current H-1B workers to change employers.

- Allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in a second H-1B position.

U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in fields, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers.

To read more about this update, visit the USCIS website at: www.USCIS.gov

For more information about H-1B Visas, visit the Joseph Law Firm, P.C. website at: www.immigrationissues.com

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TSA ANNOUNCES NEW SECURE FLIGHT PROGRAM FOR ALL DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today the implementation of the Secure Flight program, which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to TSA and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. To date TSA has assumed the watch list matching responsibility for passengers on domestic commercial flights with four volunteer aircraft operators and will add more carriers in the coming months. "The implementation of Secure Flight is a critical step towards mitigating threats we know exist in our aviation system," said TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides. "Secure Flight improves security and protects passenger privacy and civil liberties by ensuring the confidentiality of government watch list matching protocols."

Under Secure Flight, airlines will gather a passenger's full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation to determine if the passenger is a match to the No Fly or Selectee lists. By providing the additional data elements of gender and date of birth, Secure Flight will more effectively help prevent misidentification of passengers who have similar names to individuals on the watch list.

In addition to addressing misidentification, Secure Flight protects sensitive watch list data and enables officials to address security threats sooner, keeping air travel safer. By implementing one watch list matching system, the program provides a fair and consistent matching process across all airlines.

TSA continues to provide a robust redress process through the Department of Homeland Security's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) (www.dhs.gov/trip), a single portal for travelers to seek redress for adverse screening experiences and resolve possible watch list misidentification issues. Secure Flight uses the results of the redress process in its watch list matching process to prevent future misidentification of passengers who may have a name that's similar to an individual on the watch list.

The second stage of implementation, which is expected to begin in late 2009, will assume the watch list matching function for passengers on international flights from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and international air carriers.

TSA's goal is to vet 100 percent of all domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and 100 percent of all international commercials flights by the end of 2010.

For more information on Secure Flight visit www.tsa.gov.

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