The Wrong Help Can Hurt – Beware of Immigration Scams

All too often, individuals seeking immigration benefits are deceived by people pretending to be "immigration experts." This is against the law.


Common scams include:
•Falsely posing as a lawyer or BIA-accredited representative and charging customers for legal “advice” on immigration matters
•Charging for free services such as USCIS forms and InfoPass appointments or charging exorbitant amounts for assistance with immigration services
•Falsely acting as a representative of the U.S. government and charging for a green card, employment authorization, temporary protected status or some other immigration benefit

Other people may offer to help you complete your forms and may have good intentions, but are not qualified to provide legal advice on immigration law or your immigration options.

In partnership with several other agencies, USCIS is launching a public education initiative to combat the unauthorized practice of immigration law (UPIL).

Efforts will include public outreach events throughout the country to raise awareness and give individuals the tools they need to make wise choices when seeking immigration advice. USCIS has also worked with partners in the federal government such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to combat this pervasive problem.

The central message of USCIS’s public education efforts is: "The Wrong Help Can Hurt – Beware of Immigration Scams."

For more information on efforts to stop the Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law, please visit our website at http://www.uscis.gov/avoidscams.

Read more...

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Japanese nationals of certain U.S. immigration benefits

In light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Japanese nationals of certain U.S. immigration benefits available upon request.

 

WASHINGTON—In light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Japanese nationals of certain U.S. immigration benefits available upon request.

 

 

USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to eligible nationals of Japan may include:

• The grant of an application for change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;
• Re-parole of individuals granted parole by USCIS;
• Extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests;
• Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);
• Expedited employment authorization where appropriate; and
• Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration documents such as Green Cards. USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office.
• Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program may visit a USCIS local office for assistance. Japanese nationals who are at a U.S. airport may contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office there.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Learn more at: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=d219c337ab5ce210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Read more...

Avoid Green Card Lottery Fraud!

Have you or someone you know recently received an e-mail claiming you’ve won the Green Card lottery and asking you to send or wire money?


Don’t fall for it – the sender is trying to steal your money!

Fraudsters will frequently e-mail potential victims posing as State Department or other government officials with requests to wire or transfer money online as part of a “processing fee.” You should never transfer money to anyone who e-mails you claiming that you have won the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery or been selected for a Green Card.

Learn more at: http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery.html

Read more...

Call for Volunteer Tax Preparers & Greeters!

Help low income community members by preparing income tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA).

Volunteers will attend a 28 hour training program during fall 2010 and need to pass a basic tax preparer certification test. Tax preparers are needed Wednesday evenings and/or Saturday mornings beginning in mid January 2011 through mid April 2011. If you are organized, detail oriented and interested in working with a diverse clientele, this is the volunteer opportunity for you! We are also seeking bi-lingual Spanish/English speaking greeters for the same timeframe. For more information please contact Dale Halburian (or via phone at 784-8647.)

Read more...

Free information session on the Naturalization Process

Rhode Island Citizenship Consortium presents:

Free information session on the Naturalization Process

 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

10:00 a.m. - 12 noon

William Hall Library, 1825 Broad St., Cranston, RI

Join officers of the USCIS Providence Field Office to learn how to prepare to become a U.S. Citizen. Educators from the Consortium will be available to provide information on where and how to study for the English and civics examinations.


The RI Citizenship Consortium is a group of five organizations: Progreso Latino, Diocese of Providence, The Genesis Center, RI Family Literacy Initiative, and IIRI providing citizenship services to immigrants and refugees .

Read more...

USCIS Immigration Fees are going up at the end of November

USCIS Immigration Fees are going up at the end of November

Make your appointment now!

Do you need to renew your green card? Do you want to petition for family members abroad? If you have been thinking about applying for benefits with US immigration, NOW is the time to apply! Fees for applications to US Citizenship and Immigration Service will be increasing by an average of 10% beginning on November 23rd, 2010.

To receive assistance, contact a non-profit agency that has been accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) or an immigration attorney as soon as possible to make your appointment! The three BIA-accredited agencies in Rhode Island are:

International Institute of Rhode Island
645 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 461-5940
Appointments must be made in person

The Diocese of Providence
Office of Immigration and Refugee Services
184 Broad St, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 421-7833 ext 129 or ext 130

Progreso Latino
626 Broad St, Central Falls, RI 02863
(401) 728-5920 ext 309 or ext 310

For more information, including hours available go to: http://www.iiri.org/

---

Las Tarifas de Inmigración van a subir

a partir de finales de Noviembre

¡Haga su cita ahora!

¿Necesita renovar su Tarjeta Verde (Green Card)? ¿Quiere hacer una petición de algún miembro de su familia del extranjero? Si usted ha estado pensando en aplicar para algún beneficio con el Servicio de Inmigración de los Estados Unidos, AHORA es el momento para aplicar!. Las tarifas para aplicar para la Ciudadanía y Servicio de Inmigración van a estar incrementándose en un promedio del 10% a partir de Noviembre 23, 2010.

Para recibir asistencia, favor contacte a una agencia sin fines de lucro que este acreditada por el Consejo de Apelaciones de Inmigración (BIA) o a un abogado de inmigración, tan pronto como le sea posible para hacer su cita!. Las tres agencias acreditadas por el Consejo de Apelaciones de Inmigración (BIA) en Rhode Island son las siguientes:


International Institute of Rhode Island
645 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 461-5940
Las citas deben hacerse en persona

La Diócesis de Providence
Oficina de Servicios de Inmigración y Refugiados
184 Broad St, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 421-7833 ext 129 or ext 130

Progreso Latino
626 Broad St, Central Falls, RI 02863
(401) 728-5920 ext. 309 or ext. 310

Para mayor información, incluyendo horas de atención disponible, favor visite: http://www.iiri.org/


---

Taxas de Imigração subirão no final de novembro

Marque um horário conosco agora!

Você precisa renovar o seu “green card”? Você quer solicitar um visto de imigrante para alguém da sua família no exterior? Se você esteve pensando em aplicar para benefícios com a imigração nos Estados Unidos, AGORA é a hora de aplicar! Taxas para aplicações do USCIS (Serviço de Cidadania e Imigração dos Estados Unidos) subirão em média 10% a começar no dia 23 de novembro de 2010.

Para ser assistido, contate uma agência sem fins lucrativos que seja aprovada pelo BIA (Comissão para Apelações de Imigração) ou um advogado de imigração o mais rápido possível e marque um horário! As três agências que são aprovadas pelo BIA no estado de Rhode Island são:

International Institute of Rhode Island
645 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 461-5940
Agendamentos devem ser feitos em pessoa.

The Diocese of Providence
Office of Immigration and Refugee Services
184 Broad St, Providence, RI 02907
(401) 421-7833 ext 129 or ext 130

Progreso Latino
626 Broad St, Central Falls, RI 02863
(401) 728-5920 ext 309 or ext 310


Para maiores informações, incluindo horários de funcionamento, acesse www.iiri.org

Read more...

IIRI Assists in Processing 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Applications

IIRI Assists in Processing

2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Applications

Registration for the 2012 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery will end at noon Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, November 3rd, 2010. The Diversity Visa Lottery makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The Diversity Visa Lottery for 2012 will be accepting applications ONLY at: www.dvlottery.state.gov There is no fee to apply for this lottery directly.

The International Institute of Rhode Island will be assisting people apply for the 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery until Friday, October 29th. The International Institute is located at 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. To make an appointment, please call Carlos Ospina at 784-8636 or Kinga Correa at 784-8631. The fee for this service is $50 for the first applicant plus $10 for each additional family member.

Natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:

BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

Eligibility Requirements:
• Applicant or spouse of applicant must be a native of one of the eligible countries. Go to: http://travel.state.gov/pdf/1318-DV2012Instructions-ENGL.pdf to see “List Of Countries By Region Whose Natives Qualify.

• Applicant must meet either the education or training requirement of the DV program.

• Education or Training: An applicant must have EITHER a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. A GED does not satisfy this requirement.

• For more information, including requirements for photographs please visit: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ and http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/photo.aspx

Read more...