Students

October 17, 2016

Many DACA Cases Running Late

The law office of Romben Law, APC has noticed that many Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewals are taking a very long time. Cases in Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs are taking over six months. We have had no official explanation for this delay. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is also very slow to schedule the Biometrics appointment.

If your DACA Employment Authorization Document (EAD) needs to be renewed, please contact your attorney to begin the DACA renewal process as soon as possible. –jcf

March 11, 2016

Work Permits for STEM Graduates

by Romben Law, APC

In the past, F-1 foreign students graduating from universities would receive a one-year permit to work in the USA to develop and use their skills. Here at the immigration law offices of Romben Law, APC we have had many inquiries from students here in Pasadena as well as the Palm Springs office, asking about the validity of those work permits.

A new rule goes into effect today to allow science, technology, engineering, and math (the so-called “STEM” majors) graduates of accredited universities in the fields of to obtain a two-year extension on their work permits.

This rule helps the country attract and keep the brightest and best-educated students, so that they can stay and innovate in the USA. –jcf

February 1, 2013

DACA: Work Permits for Childhood Arrivals – Still Available

by Romben Law, APC

Last summer, President Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which would allow some young people who were brought to the United States at a very young age to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD – a work permit). With all the discussion of amnesty and Comprehensive Immigration Reform, I still get people asking me here at Romben Law, APC whether this DACA program still exists.

It does.

To qualify for the program, a successful applicant must show that s/he:

June 29, 2012

Papers Needed for Deferred Action for Undocumented Young People

by Romben Law, APC

At our offices in Los Angeles and in Palm Springs, the immigration attorneys at Romben Law, APC have been receiving hundreds of phone calls about the President’s recently-announced initiative to provide Deferred Action to certain undocumented young people, providing them with work permits (Employment Authorization Documents – EAD).

On 15 June 2012, President Obama announced that he was directing US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to provide EADs to undocumented young people who meet certain qualifications. A successful applicant must show that s/he:

* arrived in the USA before age 16;

June 15, 2012

FLASH: Work Permits Possible for SOME Undocumented Youth

by Romben Law, APC

The Obama Administration today issued an Executive Order which would allow CERTAIN young undocumented young people to receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Los Angeles / Palm Springs immigration attorneys Romben Law, APC have counseled thousands of immigrants, and we know that many undocumented youth are eligible for work permits under this newly-announced program.

The details are not yet available, but the White House has said that the qualifications are:

* Arrived in the USA before age 16;

October 10, 2011

California DREAM Act is for Education — NOT for a Green Card

by Romben Law, APC

On 9 October 2011, Governor Jerry Brown of California signed the California Dream Act. This bill permits undocumented immigrants to attend California public university and community colleges, providing them access to state financial aid. Only three states in the USA permit undocumented immigrants to qualify for state financial aid for college: California, New Mexico, and Texas.

To qualify, students must graduate from a California high school, after having attended school in California for a minimum of three years. The student must also sign a declaration that they are in the process of adjusting or legalizing his/her immigration situation. It is not yet known what exactly students will be attesting to when they say they are “in the process” of legalizing.

Immigrants should be very clear: the California DREAM Act is for undocumented immigrant students wishing to go to university in this state. The California DREAM Act does NOT provide legal immigration status, does NOT make the student immune from removal or deportation, does NOT permit the student to work in the absence of an Employment Authorization Document from the US immigration authorities, and does NOT permit the student to travel out of the USA and to return.

September 21, 2011

Studying in the States – New USCIS Website!

by Romben Law, APC

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Last weekend, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the launch of a new USCIS website for students looking to study in the US. The website’s name? Yup, “Study in the States.” The new website which will be of use to F-1 and M-1 hopefuls, is aimed at disseminating information to foreign students, as well as serving as an interagency resource hub between DHS and it’s partner organizations. Information pertaining to J-1 exchange visitors and trainees is still relegated to the US Department of State.

Study in the States provides information on how prospective students should utilize the current version of SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System program. It also tells us what we can expect with the highly anticipated “paperless” SEVIS II, which may launch “in the near future.”

There’s also general information useful to new immigrants such as how to obtain a social security number, how to enroll your children in Kindergarten through 12th grade, and how to get a driver’s license. The attorneys at Romben Law, APC applaud the launch of this user-friendly website and what we hope is not only USCIS acknowledgment that foreign students coming to pursue degrees in the United States represent some of the best and the brightest talents in the world…but that these are the students who can and will someday continue to drive the innovation, entrepreneurship, and values known throughout generations as, the American Dream. –ecf

June 29, 2011

H-1B: Cap Gap Guidance

by Romben Law, APC

Mind the Gap.png What is the H-1B cap gap?? F-1 students seeking first-time H-1B status are often in some period of OPT (optional practical training) when submitting an H-1B petition. “H1B Cap gap” is the term that USCIS refers to as an extension of either the F-1 student’s status and/or the student’s OPT period before October 1 of each year.

Here are some nuggets of useful information for students seeking clarification of how OPT can be properly utilized and extended with the H-1B cap gap:

If a cap gap H-1B applicant receives an H-1B denial at anytime (before or after October 1), s/he cannot continue working but is still allowed the 60-day grace period to depart the US as long as the H-1B was not denied or revoked due to fraud or misrepresentation