Shusterman’s Immigration Update April 2019
Volume Twenty Four, Number Four
SHUSTERMAN’S 
IMMIGRATION UPDATE is the Web’s most popular e-mail newsletter regarding US immigration laws and procedures with over 60,000 subscribers located in more than 150 countries. It is written by a former INS Trial Attorney (1976-82) with over 40 years of experience practicing immigration law.
Published by the Law Offices of Carl Shusterman, 600 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1550, Los Angeles, California, 90017. Phone: (213) 623-4592 x0
Want to keep up to date with the latest changes in immigration laws, procedures, processing times and forms? Subscribe now to our Free E-Mail Newsletter, join the conversation on our Facebook Page, follow our Blog Posts and subscribe to our “How-To” Immigration Videos.
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Shusterman’s Immigration Update April 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. H-1B Cap & Lotteries – April Showers, But No May Flowers
2. April 2019 Visa Bulletin & Predictions for FY2019
3. Immigration Government Processing Times
4. Facebook Live – Engage with Our Attorneys in Real Time
5. Our Country’s Asylum Laws Must Be Respected
6. Immigration Trivia Quiz: Immigrant Editors at US Magazines
7. Ask Mr. Shusterman: New Form I-539 Means Delays
8. Shusterman’s Upcoming Immigration Seminars
9. Jobs & Green Cards for RNs & MedTechs: Free Legal Help!
10. Winner of Our March 2019 Immigration Trivia Quiz!
NEWS FLASHES
- Attorney Angeline Chen Defends Asylum Seekers on CNN — On March 29, Attorney Angeline Chen took President Trump to task for mocking Central American asylum seekers at the U.S.- Mexican border. Trump characterized their asylum claims as “a big, fat con job”.
- We Are Hiring: Employment-Based Immigration Paralegal – The Law Offices of Carl Shusterman is seeking to hire an Immigration Paralegal with 5 or more years of experience preparing petitions for temporary working visas, PERM applications, I-140s and I-485s. An ideal candidate should have exceptional writing ability and case management skills.
- A Grand Compromise on Immigration? — On March 24, two Members of Congress wrote an op-ed in The New York Times, calling for a bipartisan law to provide certain immigrants with a status a pathway to permanent residency, and to secure the US border with Mexico.
- Department of Labor Imposes New LCA Notice Requirements on Employers — On March 15, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor issued a 4-page memorandum imposing significant new LCA requirements on employers and outsourcing firms.
- House Democrats Introduce Bill to Offer 2.5 million Immigrants with Temporary Immigration Status a Path to Legal Permanent Residence — On March 14, legislators submitted the HR 6 bill (also known as the Dream and Promise Act), which would allow some immigrants with temporary humanitarian protections to apply for permanent legal status.
- President Vetoes Congressional Resolution to Block His Border Emergency Declaration — On March 15, President Trump vetoed a resolution passed by the House and Senate to block the president’s emergency declaration on the southern border. The resolution received unanimous support from Democrats in both chambers, and 13 Republicans in the House and 12 Republicans in the Senate also voted for it.
- SCOTUS Rules Immigrants Can Be Detained After Serving Prison Sentence — On March 19, the Supreme Court ruled that federal authorities can detain immigrants awaiting deportation anytime – potentially even years – after they have completed prison terms for criminal convictions.
- Trump Administration Plans to Close Key Immigration Operations Abroad — On March 12, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna sent out a staff email announcing the transferring of all employees located at 21 international offices over to domestic offices, embassies and consulates.
- Trump Releases Memo on Extension of DED for Liberians — On March 28, President Donald Trump published a memorandum on the extension of deferred enforced departure for Liberians. The new termination date is March 31, 2020.
- USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions — On March 11, USCIS announced premium processing for all H-1B petitions will resume. If you received a request for evidence (RFE) for a pending petition, you can request premium processing with your RFE response.
1. H-1B Cap & Lotteries – April Showers, But No May Flowers
The H-1B process will remain largely the same this year as in prior years. However, the order of the 2 lotteries will be reversed.However, on March 19, the USCIS revealed the following updates/changes to the system: (1) Start of FY 2020 Cap Season; (2) Premium Processing for FY 2020 Cap-Subject Petitions; (3) New H-1B Data Hub; and (4) New H-1B Cap Selection Process
2. April 2019 Visa Bulletin & Predictions for FY2019
The Visa Bulletin is issued by the U.S. State Department on a monthly basis. The Bulletin shows the backlogs for persons who have been sponsored for green cards through their employers, their relatives, through investments and through the diversity lottery. The length of the backlog varies depending on the person’s preference category and their country of chargeability which is usually their country of birth.
3. Immigration Government Processing Times
We link to the most recent immigration waiting times for each of the four USCIS Service Centers, the National Benefits Center and the Administrative Appeals Office. We also link to the processing times of all of the 83 USCIS District Offices and Sub-offices. We link to the Labor Department’s page entitled “Processing dates for labor certification applications”. Finally, we link to the State Department’s “Visa Wait Times” page.
4. Facebook Live – Engage with Our Attorneys in Real Time
In our Facebook Live videos, our attorneys discuss a wide range of immigration topics and take questions online. We announce each topic in advance on the Breaking Immigration News section on our homepage.
Facebook Live allows us to provide tips and information regarding immigration law, while also providing viewers the opportunity to ask questions during the broadcast.
5. Our Country’s Asylum Laws Must Be Respected
Last week, President Trump mocked asylum seekers from Central America characterizing their asylum claims as a “big, fat con job” engineered by lawyers volunteering at our Southern Border. Now, he is threatening to cut off foreign aid to their countries and to close the U.S.- Mexico border.6. Immigration Trivia Quiz: Immigrant Editors at US Magazines
This month’s Immigration Trivia Quiz is entitled:
Quiz Removed
The first person to correctly answer our quiz (and supply their biographical information) wins a free legal consultation with one of our attorneys before the end of April.
7. Ask Mr. Shusterman: New Form I-539 Means Increased Delays
On March 22, the USCIS new version of form I-539 for persons seeking to extend or change their status became mandatory. In addition, a new I-539A supplement is required. Each family member of the primary Form I-539 applicant must sign and submit a separate Form I-539A and the forms must be submitted together.
8. Shusterman’s Upcoming Immigration Seminars
Orange County Bar Association
Newport Beach, California
May 7, 2019
Topic: Immigration for Health Care Professionals
9. Jobs & Green Cards for RNs & MedTechs – Free Legal Help!
Are you a Registered Nurse or a Medical Technologist or a Speech Language Pathologist who is looking for a job in the US?
What if you could find a job, a work visa, and green cards for you and your family to live in the US? And what if the cost to you for all of this was zero dollars?
Hard to believe? Let me explain.
10. Winner of Our March 2019 Immigration Trivia Quiz!
March’s Immigration Quiz was entitled: Famous Immigrant Chefs
Here are the answers from our winner, Paul:
“Answers follow:
1) Giada De Laurentiis. Born in Italy; founded Giada Vegas restaurant.
2) Wolfgang Puck. Born in Austria; founded Spago restaurant.
3) Roy Choi. Born in South Korea; founded Kogi BBQ restaurant.
4) Marcus Samuelsson. Born in Ethiopia; founded the Red Rooster restaurant.
I am a naturalized US citizen, originally from the UK. I’ve lived in LA for 30 years, but spent many, many years working on various non-immigrant visas. It took me over 20 years to get my Green Card.
I never believed the day would come when I would finally be a citizen here! I worked as a software developer; more recently as a technical writer.
I used Google image search and Wikipedia to solve the questions. I’ve read your newsletter for several years, following the many changes to immigration law.”
Congratulations, Paul! And thank you for keeping up with our newsletter!
Certified Specialist in Immigration Law, State Bar of California
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Attorney (1976-82)
Member of AILA Board of Governors (1988-97)
Law Offices of Carl Shusterman, 600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1550
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 623-4592 x0, Fax: (213) 623-3720
“Builders of walls, be they made of razor wire or bricks, will end up becoming prisoners of the walls they build.”
– Pope Francis
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