The US Mission in Canada is transitioning to a new appointment service for applicants applying for a visa to come to the United States. As of September 1, 2010, all services � including calling for information and scheduling an appointment � will be provided for no additional cost, with no requirement that applicants pay phone charges or PIN numbers to access such services. Starting September 1, 2010, applicants will visit CSC Visa Information Services to either obtain information online or via telephone on how to start their application for a U.S. visa at a consular section in Canada.

We want to ensure that applicants already in the scheduling process are not negatively impacted by the change. In order to ensure you receive the visa services you have paid for, please review the guidance below regarding transition timetables.

If you have already scheduled to attend an appointment through NVARS, please pay your MRV fee prior to September 1, 2010 and bring your Scotiabank receipt with you to your appointment. If you have not already scheduled an appointment, we recommend that you wait until September 1, 2010 or later to pay the MRV fee and register through the new service.

Beginning September 1, 2010, you will be required to pay your MRV fee prior to scheduling an appointment. As stated above, we recommend that applicants who have not started their application process wait until after September 1, 2010, to pay their MRV fee and schedule an appointment under the new, no-cost service.

If you have paid your MRV fee prior to September 1, 2010, but have not scheduled an appointment, there will be a grace period from September 1, 2010 until October 1, 2010 during which you can still use your MRV fee for appointment scheduling. If you have not scheduled an appointment prior to October 1, 2010, you will have to pay the MRV fee again through the new service in order to schedule an appointment. If on September 1, you find that you have paid your fee but not scheduled your appointment, please visit CSC Visa Information Services for assistance.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding throughout this transition. We hope that this improved new service will be a benefit for our customers.

1. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
2. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (if the case number starts with MEP)

These consulates allow the option of Electronic Case processing:

1. Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
2. Montreal, Canada

The cases which are being electronically processed are:

• CR1 Conditional Spouse of United States Citizen
• CR2 Conditional Child of United States Citizen
• IR1 Spouse of United States Citizen
• IR2 Child of United States Citizen

Please do not send original documents to NVC if you are using electronic case processing, the original documents will have to be hand carried to the consulate and the NVC will not return original documents.

Below are links to the individual programs.

We are pleased to announce the implementation of our online case management system for our bankruptcy cases.  For many years we have offered an online case management system to our immigration clients.  The feedback we have received from our immigration clients was very positive in that the online system allowed our clients to check on their case status, provide and retrieve information and ask and answer questions without concern of office hours and from the convenience of their own home.

After researching the issue, we have found a solution to allow us to give our bankruptcy clients the same access to their case.  Our client’s information and privacy is of utmost concern for our office and so the system we are using is the same one used by The World Bank, Mayo Clinic and Sun Microsystems.  The information is protected both physically and through state of the art web security.

Our system provides clients with the ability to select their own user names and passwords, to upload documents, review and update milestones, and to communicate at one time with the entire bankruptcy team.  While this system provides substantial information, the key factor we looked at was ease of use.  This is the most straightforward system we could find.  We are implementing this program on all new bankruptcy cases.  There is no additional cost to our clients, this is being provided free of charge to our clients.

This new service is one portion of our plan to provide our clients with the best possible service in the least intrusive manner.

These additional fees apply to petitioners who employ 50 or more employees in the United States with more than 50 percent of its employees in the United States in H-1B or L (including L-1A, L-1B and L-2) nonimmigrant status. Petitioners meeting these criteria must submit the fee with an H-1B or L-1 petition
filed: • Initially to grant an alien nonimmigrant status described in subparagraph (H)(i)(b) or (L) of section 101(a)(15), or • To obtain authorization for an alien having such status to change employers.

USCIS is in the process of revising the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129), and instructions to comply with Public Law 111-230. To facilitate implementation of Public Law 111-230, USCIS recommends that all H-1B, L-1A and L-1B petitioners, as part of the filing packet, include the new fee or a statement of other evidence outlining why this new fee does not apply. USCIS requests that petitioners include a notation of whether the fee is required in bold capital letters at the top of the cover letter. Where USCIS does not receive such explanation and/or documentation with the initial filing, it may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) to determine whether the petition is covered by the public law. An RFE may be required even if such evidence is submitted, if questions remain.
The additional fee, if applicable, is in addition to the base processing fee, the existing Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee, and any applicable American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA) fee, needed to file a petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129), as well as any premium processing fees, if applicable.

FALLS Church, Va. – The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced today the launch of a new, upgraded automated case information system, which is designed to assist respondents and their representatives and families in learning the current status of their proceedings. The toll-free number, 1-800-898-7180, has not changed, but a new local number, 240-314-1500, is in service. The system becomes effective August 23, 2010, and callers will need to be prepared to enter both the alien registration number and the date of the respondent’s charging document.