Keep The Dream Act alive – contact your senators now!

Many of your U.S. Senators are in their home district offices all this week and will going back to Washington to take up the final years’ legislation measures for 2007. Once of the most important immigration related legislation which has a chance of being passed is the DREAM Act for our immigrant youth! However, the anti-immigration lobby is out in full force now against this and every other positive immigration measure. Therefore, any indications of support are well taken by your Senators and will go a long way in providing them with the strength and enthusiasm that they need to get the legislation passed in November. So now is the time to contact Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Mel Martinez’s offices and tell the staff to deliver your message to the Senators that you support the DREAM Act because all youth deserve the opportunity to pursue their education or serve in the military! Let them know that you believe the actions of the parents of these immigrant youth should not be held against the children themselves- who had no choice in their own immigration status! You can contact your senators below at: Sen. Bill Nelson 407.872.7161 and Sen. Mel Martinez 904.398.8586.

The Dept. of Labor Announces Elimination of the Labor Certification Backlog

The DOL announced that the labor certification program's backlog has been eliminated, with nearly 99 % of cases completed and the remainder awaiting responses from employers. The Backlog Elimination Centers (BEC) have begun a transition and shutdown phase that will continue through December. If you have a Labor Certification case still pending and have not heard from the DOL, you should contact your attorney for more information on the status of your case. Otherwise, you can check your case on the online Case status site at: http://pds.pbls.doleta.gov by entering your case number, or contact the BECs by email, which will continue to use the general information email boxes for a limited period. These addresses are: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (Dallas BEC) or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (Philadelphia BEC).

2009 Diversity Visa Lottery Reminder

Remember that applications for the 2009 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery began to be accepted on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 and can be filed until noon Sunday, December 2, 2007 (Eastern Standard time). Applicants can only apply online, no paper applications. You can access the official online application system for the Diversity Visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in website delays. To read complete instructions before entering the application site, you can go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html

As always, beware of anyone who charges fees to file Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery applications, since the only way it can be filed is on the official State Dept website - FREE! If you do pay someone to file it for you, be sure to first educate yourself about what kind of questions you should be asked to provide, photos, etc and be sure to obtain the official receipt showing the case was filed online.

Immigration Q&A

Question: Social Security Numbers and status changes

Thanks for taking my question. I came to the U.S. and obtained an H-1B work visa, then applied for a social security number. Since that time, I have been working and building up credit using that number. However, now that I married a U.S. Citizen and I have received my Work Permit my wife is telling me that should I go to Social Security and get a new number based upon being in residency. Is that true or can I keep the one I have now?

Answer: That is a great question and one I receive often. The Social Security Administration issues one Social Security numbers (called SSN) to an individual. Once you’ve obtained one Social Security number, it is the same one you will use forever.

*This column is published for the purposes of providing a general understanding of immigration legal issues, as a public service and is not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Consideration given to any immigration issue is not intended in any way to substitute for individual legal consultation with a licensed attorney. Readers should understood that this column and the foregoing illustrations are subject to different interpretations in each particular immigration case that may arise and no one reading this column should attempt to apply his own particular situation to the principles described herein. Readers with specific legal immigration issues should consult their attorney. If you have an immigration issue and do not know an attorney, you may call The American Immigration Lawyer’s Association’s Lawyer Referral Service at:1-800-954-0254.

*For Past Issues of This Column, go to: www.carolypedersen.com