On the occasion of Pride Month, the US Department of State has announced a change in policy regarding the way that sex and gender reassignment are noted on US passports. The immigration Romben Law, APC, long-time advocates for gay and lesbian immigrants, receive questions regularly about how gender is reflected…
“What’s the difference between my visa and the I-94 landing card?” “If my visitor visa is good for five years, why can’t I stay in the USA for five years?” The immigration lawyers at Romben Law, APC in Los Angeles get this type of question all the time. Let’s see…
USCIS updated the H-1B quota numbers again last week. Approximately 19,600 applications have been been received for the regular cap and approximately 8,200 have been received for the “master’s degree” or “advanced degree” cap. The increase of 700 applications overall, in the past week shows that it’s still anyone’s game…
As promised, here is yet another update on the H-1B quota. On May 14, 2010, USCIS confirmed that approximately 19,000 H-1B applications have been received, and that approximately 8,100 applications were received for the advanced degree quota. If you were reading this blog on May 11, 2010, you would have…
For years now, Congress has debated whether to pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would give a future to undocumented youth through a conditional path to citizenship and it would have legalized people like Tam Ngoc Tran who died earlier this week in a tragic car accident. Tam was…
The day when you could become a US Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) simply by walking off of your boat has long passed. Since that time, paperwork or cards documenting an immigrant’s status have taken various forms, the most well known being the “green card.” The “green card” was a plastic…
As the discussion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform moves forward, the immigration lawyers of Romben Law, APC in Los Angeles have heard and read accusations from some that the US cannot “afford” to have more immigrants, that the US has huge budget problems, and that we should look after Americans first.…
Border guards are not known to be the friendliest people in Federal service. The immigration attorneys at Romben Law, APC in Los Angeles routinely hear stories of border guards shouting at aliens who are telling the truth, bluntly telling aliens, “you are lying to me,” or asking in a hostile…
Just today, USICS released information stating that about 18,000 H-1B applications were received. Also, USCIS has announced that 7,600 H-1B petitions were received for the advanced degree quota. For those of you keeping track of the H-2B quota, about 65,307 of the 66,000 allocated for this fiscal year have been…
The H-1B quota. “When will the quota close?” “How long do you think before the H-1B cap is reached?” These are the questions I’ve fielded for years while professional workers scrambled for jobs or while their employers are completing their forms. The USCIS has announced only receiving slightly more than…