Immigration

Green Card E-mail Scam

January 29, 2012 By Tom Jr.

Do NOT respond to emails regarding your immigration status, unless they are from your immigration attorney. Our Ohio immigration lawyers are posting this important article in an attempt to keep you and your loved ones from being the victims of fraud.

Scam artists are sending emails falsely claiming that the recipient won the Green Card lottery or Diversity Visa lottery and instructing him or her to mail or wire money. It is a scam. This is NOT how you get a green card.

Do NOT mail or wire money to anyone other than your immigration attorney or at your attorney’s direction. Never ever.

Examples of Scam Artist Email Addresses

Although scam artists can use hundreds of different email addresses, here are some that are known to have been used as reported on the USCIS website:

@kccdv.org, @greencard-org.com, @usafis-org.com, @usa-dv-gov.org, @diplomats.com, @usa.com, @usa-lottery-gov.org, @visa-gov-us.org, @post.com, @dv-state.com

These email addresses are all fake; they do not belong to any governmental agency. All governmental agencies use email addresses, ending in “gov” such as the USCIS’s website address, www.uscis.gov/

Don’t be Fooled by Official Looking Emails

These scam artists know how to create a really good fake email. Be careful, the heading says “Department of State,” it’s a fake. They use fake titles, colors, and logos.

It this email, potential victims are asked to wire (Western Union) $879 per person to someone in London. If you receive a similar email, do NOT follow the directions or you’ll lose your money and be no closer to receiving a Green Card.

Do Not Fax Any Information

The USCIS reported in October 2011 that the scam artists had expanded their scheme to request that victims fax a copy of their Western Union receipt to +44 207 691 7968.

Never fax any information to any other than your immigration attorney or to someone at the explicit direction of your attorney. Your attorney is on your side; no one else is. There are no short cuts to getting a Green Card or Diversity Visa.

To Keep Safe, Remember

To keep safe, keep these tips in mind:

Any website or email from the government, always ends in “gov”
The USCIS, State Department, or any other government entity will NEVER email you requesting “processing fees”
Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission
Always work with a qualified immigration attorney and if you receive any emails or letters, ask your attorney if they are legitimate.

Where to Get Help with Immigration Issues

We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions; you are not alone.

We will do our very best to protect you from Green Card and Diversity Visa Email scams, while helping your to reach your individual immigration goals. Your next step is to contact our office (Ohio immigration Lawyers): 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Filed Under: Green Card, Immigration

U.S. Government Seeks to Reduce Separation of U.S. Citizens and Family Members

January 9, 2012 By Tom Jr.

The USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) is working to decrease the time delay of family members legally immigrating to join their U.S. citizen family members, in the United States. New regulatory proposals were announced January 6, 2012, by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Family unity is the foundation for many of the U.S. immigration laws. It’s a high priority. Now, the government seeks to reduce the wait time for family reunification, work more efficiently, and to standardize the process.

Mr. Mayorka’s statement explains,

“Currently, children and spouses of U.S. citizens who have accrued a certain period of unlawful presence in the U.S., and have to leave the country in order to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S., are barred from returning to their families for as long as 3 or 10 years. They can receive a waiver to allow them to return to their families before that period by showing that their U.S. citizen family member would face extreme hardship as a result of the separation. But under current procedures, in order to obtain the waiver, these individuals must apply from outside the United States after they have been found inadmissible by a Department of State consular officer. This process can be lengthy and discourages individuals who are currently eligible for this waiver from applying. To address this problem, the USCIS proposal would allow eligible immediate relatives of U.S. citizens to apply for and receive “provisional waivers” of unlawful presence before they leave the United States for consular processing of their immigrant visa applications, significantly reducing the time U.S. citizens are separated from their spouses, or children.”

Reunification Benefits Our Society

It is recognized that a separation of 3 to 10 years can cause a significant breakdown in the family and family support systems. It benefits the U.S. government and society, in general, if families are kept together. Families provide emotional and financial support that the government and taxpayers would otherwise bear the brunt of.

Where to Get Help Bringing Your Family Members to the United States

More details on the new immigration regulations will be published, likely this spring, in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Public comments will be welcome. If you need help, we focus our practice on immigration law and bringing children and spouses of American citizens to the U.S.

Your next step is to contact our office: 513-791-1673, the form below or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will guide you and your loved ones through the immigration process and help you to reunify your family in the United States.

Filed Under: Deportation & Removal, Family based Immigration, Family Visas, Green Card, Immigration, Waiver

Are You a Refugee?

December 14, 2011 By Tom Jr.

Immigration to Avoid Persecution and Chaos

If you (or a loved one) must flee your homeland or another country, to avoid persecution and chaos, there are 7 paths to U.S. immigration. This means that you can either come to the U.S., or avoid removal proceedings, if you qualify. Obtaining refugee status is one of those 7 paths. Consult with a qualified immigration attorney to determine whether obtaining refugee status, or one other the other 6 paths, is right for you.

How Do I Qualify as a Refugee?

In very general terms, you may obtain refugee immigration status, if you have a well-founded fear of persecution because of your:

Race
Religion
Nationality
Social Group Membership
Political Opinion

The Refugee Process

This is a overview of the refugee application process; each next step assumes that the previous step was completed successfully.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees must determine that you qualify as a refugee.
The Commissioner gives the appropriate U.S. embassy, your name.
The U.S. embassy orders a background check from a resettlement organization.
The background check is performed.
The State Department runs a name check via the Consular Lookout and Support System.
The potential refugee must interview with an officer from the Department of Homeland Security.
The application is then sent to the Depart of State.
The FBI and CIA do an additional review and issue a Security Advisor Opinion.
The State Department must give final approval.
Any specific relocation request based upon a family relationship is investigated.
The refugee must fly into one of eight approved airports, where he or she must participate in a face to face interview to ensure that he or she is actually the person approved for entry.
At the airport, the refugee is issued photo identification that shows that he or she is authorized to live and work in the United States.

It’s a complicated and lengthy procedure; it’s likely in your best interest to consult with a qualified immigration attorney to make sure that your request for refugee status is handled correctly and in a timely manner.

Where to Get Help with Refugee and Immigration Issues

We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions; you are not alone.

Your next step is to contact our office: 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will guide you through the refugee application and resettlement process.

Filed Under: Asylum, Immigration, Immigration Court

Strict State Immigration Law May Cost Taxpayers

December 7, 2011 By Tom Jr.

The federal government, via the Department of Justice, has made it clear. Alabama will lose federal funding if law enforcement agencies violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a December 2,2011 letter to Alabama law enforcement agents, local police chiefs and sheriffs were warned to be very careful when enforcing this new immigration law. If enforcing Alabama’s immigration law violates the Civil Rights Act, Alabama will lose federal money.

In effect, under Alabama’s new immigration law, law enforcement must check the immigration status of everyone pulled over during a routine traffic stop; if proof of legitimate immigration status cannot be immediately provided and the officer thinks the individual is not in the United States legally, the officer must make an arrest.

The LA Times reports two examples of inappropriate stops and false arrests of a German citizen and a Japanese citizen, both in the United States legally.

Ways Alabama May Lose Money because of the Strict Immigration Law

· Lawsuits for false arrest and harassment
· Sick time and paid leave for overwhelmed law enforcement officers
· Loss of taxes and spending of those who have fled the state for fear of harassment
· Loss of federal funding if Civil Rights Act of 1964 is violated
· Loss of farming revenue because workers have fled the state and food is rotting in the fields
· Loss of tourist income because damage to Alabama’s image

In fact, financial loss has already been felt by the state government; Alabama’s revenue commissioner has stopped county officials from asking for proof of legal immigration status from individuals who want to renew their car tags.

Don’t allow yourself or your loved ones to be bullied by state immigration laws such as Alabama’s new law. If you need help with any immigration issue, consult with a qualified immigration attorney.

Where to Get Help with Immigration Issues

We focus our practice on immigration law, current immigration policies, and helping people just like you, every day. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions; you are not alone.

If you have an immigration issue, your next step is to contact our office: 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will gently walk you through your immigration issues, guiding you and your family, and aggressively representing you before law enforcement officials, in court, and before the Department of State, as needed.

Filed Under: Immigration, Soap Box

Highly Skilled Workers May Wait Less Time for Green Cards

December 2, 2011 By Tom Jr.

On November 29, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives easily passed an immigration bill that allows more highly skilled immigrants from China and India to become green card holders (i.e. legal permanent residents.) We say “easily” passed the House because the bill had bipartisan support and was passed with a vote of 389 to 15. The bill is likely to pass the Senate as well.

American technology corporations, such as Microsoft, have long petitioned for a change in legal immigration laws because their workers, here on temporary visas, are being forced to leave because of the green card backlog. Corporations have stated that the U.S. is losing its edge in the world economy and the technology race due to a lack of highly skilled workers.

The bill does not address illegal immigration issues. Instead, the goal is to reduce employment-based green card waits for highly skilled workers such as those with science and technology skills such as those with master and doctorate degrees in engineering and science. Currently, highly skilled workers may be approved for a green card but have to wait years and years to actually receive it. The wait can be decades.

The bill eliminates caps on the number of annual employment green cards available to a specific country. The bill does not change the number of green cards available; that number remains at 140,000. It just eliminates the current 7% (i.e. 9,800 visas) limit per country. Instead, all employment-based green cards would be distributed first-come-first-served. However, it’s estimated that wait will still be approximately 12 years, according to Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy.

In addition, the bill keeps the limit on family-based green cards at 226,000, but raises the number of green cards available to each country, by eliminating the current 7% per country cap and replacing it with a 15% cap. This changes the number of family-based green cards available for each country from 15,820 to 33,900 and will benefit Filipinos and Mexicans.

If you wish to bring or keep a highly skilled worker in the United States or you are a highly skilled worker and wish to obtain a green card, consult with a qualified immigration attorney. We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day.

Your next step is to contact our office: 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will gently walk you through your immigration issues, guiding you; and, even aggressively represent you in court and before the Department of State, if need be.