Author: Jeff MacArthur

Any person seeking to immigrate to the United States pursuant to a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, must have a financial sponsor who signs and submits a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support to the Department of Homeland Security. With this Affidavit of Support, the sponsor agrees to financially support the intending immigrant at 125 […]

A growing number of Americans have been shocked when their international travel plans were cut short due to a new passport validity rule enacted in many foreign countries. The new rule requires that a traveler’s passport must have six or more months of validity in order to travel to that country. This rule change has […]

Attention all employers with Permanent Case Management System (PERM) accounts. As of Aug. 25, 2014, all PERM users must now begin to comply with new password requirements for enhanced security. All PERM users will be required to change their existing passwords within the next 90 calendar days. As cyber threats are becoming increasingly aggressive, the new password […]

The Department of State has announced that effective Sept. 12, 2014, certain fees for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa categories will change. DOS amends their visa fee schedule periodically in an effort to make the fees reflect the actual work that goes into various processes. DOS conducted a Cost of Service study that ran from April 2012 […]

In several of our previous blogs, you may have noticed the term “visa bulletin.” This is a term that pops up quite frequently when discussing immigration matters. The visa bulletin is a monthly online publication issued by the United States Department of State containing detailed information on the availability of immigrant visa numbers. It is […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently announced the launch of the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry process into the U.S. The app, Mobile Passport Control, or MPC, will allow eligible travelers to submit their passport information and customs declaration form via a Smartphone or tablet prior to CBP inspection. The app was […]

A recent influx of jobs into the Western New York marketplace has left Buffalo area businesses in an interesting position — trying to find enough qualified employees to fill those openings. As a result, a number of companies, especially those needing to fill high-tech positions, may expand their search beyond U.S. borders. That, however, can […]

The U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs has recently answered some questions regarding the worldwide Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) problems that have delayed many from receiving their U.S. passports and visas. Consular Affairs is reporting that significant progress has been made in addressing the problem and most of the backlogged nonimmigrant visas have been issued. However, […]

The U.S. Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database (CCD), a system critical to visa issuance, is experiencing technical problems. This has limited the State Department’s visa processing capacity. In turn, there have been worldwide delays in nonimmigrant visa issuance all across the globe. In order to assist individuals affected by these problems, U.S. Customs and […]

An adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, commonly referred to as an ACD, is a sentence typically offered to a defendant when the crime charged is a misdemeanor and the defendant has no prior record. In sum, the case is put on hold for a specified amount of time (generally six months) and if the defendant […]