The DOL Completes sending "45-day" letters for all Labor Certifications Pending At Backlog Centers-

The Dept of Labor (DOL) has completed sending "45-day" letters for all Labor Certifications Pending At Backlog Centers. This means that for those who are being sponsored, if your employer or attorney has NOT received a 45-day letter, the DOL must be contacted immediately, since the case may be lost or improperly entered.

The DOL has set up an email system to inquire about such cases where there has been no confirmation of the pending case. DOL instructs that employers and attorneys have 30 days to notify them of such cases. It appears this notice was posted 9/11/06. Therefore, anyone who did not receive the 45-day letter on a pre-PERM case must move quickly to advise DOL of such cases.

The DOL has set up a special email for notification of such cases:

Philadelphia Backlog Center:      This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dallas Backlog Center:               This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Beware of fake email saying you have won the DV Lottery!

There are reports that a fraudulent email is being sent to immigrants pretending that they have won the Diversity Visa Lottery, in order to obtain money.  The email, claiming to be sent by the U.S. Department of State, says that "you have been selected as one of the lucky winners" of the DV visa lottery.  The email requests payment of $749 for individuals and $949 for families.  AILA is warning the public that the sender is trying to steal money and that no one will obtain a visa from it.   A genuine notification of the DV lottery selection process will only come to visa hopefuls by normal postal mail.  It will include a packet of forms to be completed, and it will not ask you for money.  A copy of the fake email can be seen at http://www.aila.org/content/fileviewer.aspx?docid=20311&linkid=150072 

October Visa Bulletin Shows Improvement In Family Visa Categories

October’s Visa Bulletin shows a significant improvement over September’s visa availability numbers. While there is no easy explanation for why so many years can be added back in a matter of days, the news is still very good. For Regions which include the Caribbean, the 1^st Preference category, for Single Sons and Daughter’s of U.S. Citizens now show visas available for applications filed in May of 2000. The September Bulletin was all the way back to January of 1998.  Similarly, in that same region, for the 2^nd Preference, spouses and minor children of Permanent Residents, October’s Bulletin shows an increase over September from September 1999 to April 2001. This is a good sign, but does not necessarily mean the visas will remain at these levels.

However, those whose priority dates are current, who are presently inside the U.S. can now proceed to file the adjustment (485) pkg to obtain a Green Card. Remember that there is much more to filing the adjustment application than just completing the form and attaching the fees, this is how many applicant’s lose time and money and often have to redo the whole process. When filing for adjustment, you must file a complete package which includes, but is not limited to:  the approved I-130 or copy of the receipt, the required medical examination, Birth/marriage/divorce certificates/naturalization certificate, copies of passports, I-94’s, photos, Biographic forms, Employment Authorization, Affidavit of Support (and Joint-sponsorship if required), Tax Returns/W-2’s for sponsor and other documents which demonstrate eligibility under the category you are filing in.