For U.S. Postal Service:

USCIS
PO Box 660151
Dallas, TX 75266

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-129F
2501 South State Highway 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

The Vermont and California Service Centers will forward incorrectly filed petitions to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox until Sept. 17, 2010.  After Sept. 17, 2010, petitions and fees submitted at the Service Centers will be returned to the applicant with a note advising them of the correct filing location.

Applicants may also elect to receive an e-mail and/or text message notifying them that their petition has been accepted by completing Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and attaching it to the first page of their application.

Did you read that sentence again?  Yes, text message.  USCIS is starting to keep up with the times!

We will provide additional information at www.bashyamspiro.com as it becomes available.

If you would like to view this video, please click HERE.

Are you tired of waiting for years to have your employer-sponsored ‘green card’ case processed?

If the cumbersome PERM labor certification process and seemingly infinite visa backlogs are getting you down, there may be other options available to help you obtain permanent residency quickly.

Bashyam Spiro Immigration Attorneys Murali Bashyam and Ame Coats will discuss two ways in which a foreign national can bypass the lengthy employer-sponsored permanent residency process:

1. The EB-1 category for Aliens of Extraordinary Ability
2. The exceptional worker EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) category.

Both employment-based (EB) categories are based on self-sponsorship, and both have very stringent requirements.

Presenters will discuss the requirements to qualify as a person of Extraordinary Ability or National Interest, and the benefits of applying in these categories if you qualified.

Presenters will also answer webinar attendees’ questions

Beginning April 1, 2010 and continuing until June 2, 2010, USCIS will provide a transition period during which previous versions of the forms will continue to be accepted.  After June 2, 2010, only the 12/30/09 version of these forms may be used.  If someone attempts to file any previous version of either form after June 2, 2010, USCIS will reject the filing. The rejected form, supporting evidence, and any filing fee will be returned with a copy of the 12/30/09 version so that the person can file using the correct form.

Prospective adoptive parents residing in the United States must continue to submit Forms I 600, I 600A, and all supporting documents to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility for initial processing, using one of the following addresses:

USCIS
P.O. Box 660088
Dallas, TX 75266

Courier and Express Mail Deliveries:

USCIS
ATTN: Adoption
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

After Forms I-600 and I-600A are received at the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility, they will be routed to and adjudicated at the USCIS National Benefits Center, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Prospective adoptive parents residing abroad can also file the Form I-600A or Form I-600 through the Dallas Lockbox facility.

Prospective adoptive parents residing abroad can also file the Form I-600A and Form I-600 as follows:

Form I-600A can still be filed at the overseas USCIS office having jurisdiction over the overseas place of residence.

Form I-600 can still be filed at the overseas U.S. Embassy, consulate or USCIS office having jurisdiction to accept the petition. However, in order to file a Form I-600 petition abroad, the petitioner must have an approved and valid Form I-600A and must be physically present at the time of filing in the adoptive child’s country.

We will provide more information at www.bashyamspiro.com as it becomes available.

Have you just gotten married or engaged to an immigrant in the U.S. or overseas? Is your immigration attorney telling you that the process is not as easy or as quick as you had once thought?  One of the main challenges for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents who have a foreign born spouse or fiancé currently living in the U.S. or abroad is how best to bring them to the United States or obtain permanent residency for them.

This one-hour online seminar will provide virtual attendees an overview of the family-based immigration process as it relates to a foreign spouse or fiancé.  We will also discuss the various strategies couples should consider when going through the immigration process in the U.S. or abroad.  Our attorney will follow the web presentation by taking questions and answers from participants.

Title:  Fiancee and Marriage Visas:  A Guide To Sponsoring Your Fiancee or Spouse

Date:  Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Time:  12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

H-1B Regular Cap

USCIS

VSC

Attn: H-1B Cap

4 Lemnah Drive

St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

H-1B U.S. Master’s Exemption Cases

USCIS

VSC

Attn: H-1B U.S. Masters Cap

4 Lemnah Drive

St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

The VSC filing addresses for all other H-1B petitions remains the same as it was in FY 2010.

We will provide additional information at www.bashyamspiro.com as it becomes available.

Space is limited.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/792025747

In January 2010, the USCIS released a memo defining the employer-employee relationship for the purposes of filing an H-1B application.  This memo will have a significant impact on what employers, and especially information technology consulting companies, will have to prove in the H-1B application process.

We will be hosting an informative webinar for H-1B employers regarding the recently issued USCIS guidelines about the employer-employee relationship.  This webinar is a must for employers who hire professional workers under the H-1B program.

This FREE webinar will be held on March 31, 2010 at Noon EST and is open to the public.

Sign up now!

Title: What Do Changes in USCIS H-1B Standards Mean for Employers and Employees

Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Time: 12:00 pm – 1 pm EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

You think YOU hate going to parties and other social events?  Maybe  you’re shy, or what your spouse lovingly calls ‘antisocial’.  Maybe you get bored, or just don’t know what to talk about.   Discussions on the weather can only take you so far, so most people resort to talking about their careers at things like this.  But what if you recently lost your job? Or you do some obscure research that no one understands?  Maybe you’re a dermatologist and when you tell strangers they ask you to look at the rash on the bottom of their feet.   When I had young children, and wasn’t employed outside the home, I would dread the question “So what do you do”?  I would panic and stammer something like “Uh. Nothing.”, when that’s the LAST thing that could describe what I did all day.

All that pales in comparison to my experiences these last couple of years.  My husband works for a health insurance company. (Was that a shudder that just went through you?)  Anyway, we’ve started keeping it secret from new acquaintances.  It’s just no fun getting that hateful glare as they digest the fact that he makes a living with the ‘evil empire’ that single-handedly destroyed their friend’s aunt’s life savings, or refused to pay for their sister’s neighbor’s liposuction.  I think people would take it better if he was a used car salesman (apologies to all you used car salesmen). 

Those that try to remain polite in the face of such circumstances will inevitably turn to me to change the topic of conversation.  They try to disguise their contempt as they struggle to maintain their composure and not attack my sweet hubby in public.  “Me”? I say. “Oh, I work in immigration”!  There’s an audible gasp, and then silence. Their face turns white.   And then they let me have it. 

No one has mild feelings on the subject of immigration.  I’ve heard it all. Every misleading idea, every misunderstanding, every out-and-out lie that gets spread as if it’s the gospel truth.  So I have taken this on as my personal life’s mission:  to educate the average American on 1] why our country NEEDS immigrants; 2] why our country should WANT immigrants; and 3] how the US is inestimably richer for our melting-pot culture.  I back them in to a corner (figuratively if not literally) and explain how immigration law is the only federal law that is completely made up. It’s been cobbled together from politicians good and bad over many generations, and currently makes as much sense as the continued popularity of America Idol.  I tell them heartbreaking, personal stories of clients I’ve worked with (no names of course!), which show the truly ugly picture of our broken immigration system. They’ll look sheepish and say something like “Oh that’s different, I’m not talking about THAT kind of immigrant”. I smile sadly, and say as gently as I can, “But there’s more of this story than you can possibly imagine”.

Well, I may not change the world, or even my little corner of it, but my husband and I are getting very good at publicly defending our chosen fields!  Both are at the forefront of the public’s minds right now, because they both desperately need to be fixed.  Until then, every hostess in the Triangle is scratching the Prathers off their guest lists…..

Would you like to become a United States citizen, but don’t know where to turn or where to begin the process?

Bashyam Spiro’s Senior Counsel, Ame Coats, will explain the immigration requirements, process, and processing times in this free webinar on naturalization.  She will also be available to answer your questions.

Sign up today!  To register, please click here.

Title:  How to Become a U.S. Citizen Through Naturalization

Date:  Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Time: 12 pm – 1 pm