Tuesday

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Taking a Back Seat to More Pressing Issues?

Comprehensive Immigration Reform - photo by nclr.org

This past Friday, Democrat leaders in the House expressed plans to present a version of the comprehensive immigration bill that the Senate passed earlier in the year. Democrat hopes are riding high that a vote will be called and permitted by GOP leadership but for now the introduction of the bill simply aims to press Republican members to move reform in a positive direction.
Comprehensive immigration reform appears to have hit a standstill in Congress and quickly took a back seat to recent political matters including international relations, national security investigations and the recent government shutdown. Nevertheless, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus indicated that it will continue to bring comprehensive immigration reform to the forefront and will use the introduction of the bill as a rallying point for Democrats.
As reported recently by Huffington Post, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D) of Illinois exclaimed “The Democrats have a responsibility, in the absence of a coordinated bill between Republicans and Democrats, to make an offer, to say ‘here is our position’ to the Republican majority,” Gutierrez said on a call hosted by pro-reform group America’s Voice. “And I think it’s incumbent on the Republican majority to say, ‘we like that’ or ‘here’s our counter-proposal.’”
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) told reporters on the same call that such a bill, combining the Senate measure and House border proposal, would allow advocates to point to specific elements of reform in order to ask whether a Republican member supported it — rather than just the general concept of immigration reform. “Those who have been hiding from the issue will no longer be able to hide,” said Polis, the co-chair of the New Democrat immigration task force.
The opposition has made minimal effort to hide its clear stance on comprehensive immigration reform. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has repeatedly taken the position that he will not bring up the Senate immigration bill for a vote. Democrats to insist this obstacle can be overcome if Boehner breaks away from the non-mandatory, Hastert Rule, a tactic of not allowing a vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party supports the bill.
Originally posted on bsfirm.com

Thursday

What to do if Error on I-797 Notice of Action

What do you do if a receipt notice or approval notice has an error? The immigration application and petition processing at times can be long and arduous. Both clients and attorneys often feel anguish and quickly become impatient due to the delayed processing times. After waiting for numerous months or maybe years, the moment of receiving an approval is met with relief and joy. However the excitement of receiving an approval quickly vanishes at the realization that the Form I-797 Notice of Action contains a typographical error. Regardless of whether it is an incorrect birth date, classification, misspelled name, or approval/expiration date quick action should be taken to correct this error.
What to do if error on I-797First, revisit the copy of the application or petition that was submitted to USCIS to ensure it contains the correct information. If the application or petition contains incorrect information then the error on the notice will not be deemed a Service error and USCIS will not be inclined to correct the error without additional steps.
However, if the error was committed by the Service then step two should be taken. CallNational Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 to report the error. Be prepared to provide the name of the applicant or petitioner, case number, and the specific error. After reporting the error, NCSC will make an not issue a separate receipt notice reflecting the correction but the subsequent notice issued should contain the correction. If the error is on an Approval Notice, immediately call NCSC to request the information to be corrected and to have an updated notice be issued. Do not wait 30 days to make this request as many completed files are transferred within 30 days to the National Records Center. Keep in mind that NCSC may request the applicant or petitioner to submit a copy of the application or petition indicating the correct information was submitted.
Third, make a note of the time/date and agent ID # and confirmation number when calling the NCSC. This information will be necessary if additional action is required to correct the error.
Keep in mind that it is best to have the representation of an attorney to provide the necessary assistance in immigration matters. An immigration attorney can take additional measures to have an error corrected by USCIS. An error on correspondence from USCIS should not be overlooked or ignored as it may cause significant problems.
Take action to correct it immediately. If you need assistance to correct an error on a Receipt Notice or Approval Notice do not hesitate. Call the attorneys at Benavides & Serrano PLLC at 713-222-2828.
Originally posted on bsfirm.com