For the second time this year, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service has changed its name. Part of the Department of Homeland Security since March 2003, the INS has been renamed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it's appreviated name is "CIS." The website for the CIS is now: http://www.uscis.gov .

Badmus Immigration Law Firm wishes all of you Happy Holidays and a joyful New Year!

Our office will closed for the holidays on December 25 and 26, 2003 and January 1 and 2, 2004.

In a December 16th telephone conference, the CIS reported that the H1B cap has not been reached and a count of the number of H1B visas for this fiscal year (October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004) will take place early next year. The agency's exact words are:

CIS: We have not reached the cap. We will conduct a sweep of CLAIMS after the 12/30/2003 quarterly close and we will take a look at our quarterly H-1B count at that time. We will share more information after we have completed these two actions. If we do decide to impose a moratorium on requests for Premium Processing Service, Premium Processing will still be available for "cap-exempt" H-1B cases.

Finally, the CIS (formerly INS) is publishing its current processing times for all service centers and district offices. Business or employment sponsored applications are usually filed at the service centers while family green card and other applications are filed at the district offices. These processing reports can be found at https://egov.immigration.gov/graphics/cris/jsps/index.jsp?textFlag=N

ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project

IMPORTANT ADVISORY
Special Registration Has NOT Ended –Many Requirements Continue

The reports that Special Registration has “ended” are NOT correct. The ONLY significant change in Special Registration that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced at the beginning of December, 2003 is that it is “suspending” the requirement of (1) annual re-registration applicable to all registrants and (2) 30/40-day follow-up interviews applicable to port-of-entry registrants. All other requirements and the Special Registration program itself are NOT changed and remain in effect. Anyone who does not comply with all the continuing requirements of Special Registration could be subjected to denial of admission to the U.S., denial of immigration benefits, possible criminal prosecution, and/or removal proceedings.

All categories of business immigration, including unskilled workers, continue to be current, which means that all workers with approved visa numbers can apply for adjustment of status or consular processing. If you have an approved I140 and have not applied for adjustment of status (the final phase of the permanent residence application), now is the time to do it.

Badmus Immigration Law Firm wishes to thank all of you who have referred friends, family, or associates to our firm. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in us.

We hope this newsletter serves as a helpful source of immigration and other information to you. If we have met our purpose, please share it with family, friends, or colleagues who may also benefit. Just click "tell a friend" on the sidebar. As always, your support is appreciated!