WEEK OF JULY 12, 2007 – JULY 18, 2007

THIS WEEK’S IMMIGRATION NEWS

Reminder That USCIS Filing Fees Skyrocket On July 30^th!

On July 30^th, Filing Fees for most immigration applications will skyrocket! The next few weeks is your last opportunity to file family and other immigration petitions under the existing Filing Fees structure. For a list of the new Filing Fees, you can go online to: www.uscis.gov/21stCenturyService , call the USCIS at: 800-375-5283, or stop by our office and pick up a Filing Fees hand out for Family Immigration cases which we have prepared.

USCIS Sends Receipts To Applicants With The Wrong 800#

On June 8, 2007 the USCIS reported that notices sent to applicants between 3/23/07 and 6/5/07 listed an incorrect phone number for the 1-800 number. The Service estimates that the error may have affected approximately 200,000 people. The correct phone number for the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) is 800-375-5283.

THIS WEEK’S IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS:

Question: I am a US citizen, I petitioned for my older sister and finally, after almost 12 years, she was approved. But now that the visa has been approved and the visa center is sending me forms, I have some questions. Will my sister’s husband and my nieces and nephews be able to immigrate with her? I listed them on the family application. Also, my elderly parents live with them, so can they also immigrate also?. My sister takes care of them because they are not in good health. We don’t think they could live alone. Thank you so much for your answer. God Bless.

Answer: Good news, your sister’s husband and minor children (under 21) can immigrate with her. However, you will need to provide the National Visa Center with financial documents including your 2006 tax return, W-2’s, current employer letter and past three months bank statement in order to prove that you can afford to support your sister and her family. Under current guidelines, if you are single, you will need to show that your current yearly income is at least $29,250. If you are married and have dependants, you need to count yourself, your dependants (those on your 2006 tax return) and your sister and her family. I’ve included the 2006 Poverty Guidelines below (except for Alaska & Hawaii). Also, you must complete a separate I-864 for each immigrant (in your case, four). If you cannot meet the financial guidelines, you can have a Joint-sponsor who can sponsor one or several of your family members. Just remember that even if you don’t qualify, you still need to complete the I-864 (and provide the documents detailed above), and the Joint-sponsor must do the same. For example, if you have enough income to support your Sister, her husband and one child, you would complete three I-864 forms and attach duplicate documentation as directed above. For the final child, you would also complete a final I-864 form, attach the documentation as directed above and your Joint-Sponsor would complete an I-864 forms and attach the required documentation as directed above, as well as a copy of his or her U.S. Birth Certificate, U.S. Passport or Naturalization Certificate. As for your parents, you will need to file family petitions for both of them separately in order for them to be able to immigrate. They are currently in a special category called “Immediate” family members. Therefore, the process is fairly quick, about 8-12 months if they process at the Embassy in their home country. If they have US tourist visas, they can come into the U.S. and both the family & Green Card petitions could be filed for them and they could remain here while waiting for their U.S. Residency.