Immigration Law

Important Message to Eligible Adjustment of Status Applicants Based on Special Immigrant Religious Worker Classification!

By Robert Kraft

The U.S. Department of State has released its September 2009 Visa Bulletin.
 
For the month of September 2009, the visa bulletin displays unavailable visas for the employment-based category – third preference category, other workers, fourth preference category, and certain religious workers. Special Immigrant Religious Workers would be categorized under the employment-based fourth preference category. Recently, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) began accepting concurrent filing of Form I-360 Religious Worker Petition and Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Application pursuant to the district court's final order under Ruiz-Diaz v. United States. Pursuant to the order, individuals who file Form I-485 based on a pending Special Immigrant Religious Worker Petitions (Form I-360) or file concurrent I-360 and Form I-485 on or before September 9, 2009 would receive protection from the accrual of any unlawful presence and unauthorized employment that began, up until September 9, 2009.
 
Under the September 2009 visa bulletin, beginning September 1, 2009, there will be no visas available for the special immigrant religious worker category - employment-based 4th preference category. It is vital that all pending or approved special immigrant religious worker petitions file their adjustment of status applications before August 31, 2009. USCIS will reject any adjustment of status applications based on a pending or approved Form I-360 seeking special immigrant religious worker classification filed on or after September 1, 2009. More information is available at www.uscis.gov.
 
Call Kraft & Associates at 214-999-9999 and we will answer your questions regarding adjustment of status to permanent residence based on a Special Immigrant Religious Workers Petition.

Full post as published by Immigration Law Answers Blog on August 18, 2009 (boomark / email).