DHS Will Not Begin Accepting Expanded DACA Applications Tomorrow

DHS announced that it will not accept requests under the expanded DACA initiative tomorrow, February 18, 2015, as originally planned due to the federal district court decision to temporarily enjoin the implementation of DAPA and expanded DACA. Until further notice, DHS has also suspended plans to accept requests for DAPA. However, DOJ will appeal the temporary injunction, and DHS says that it expects it will ultimately prevail in the courts and will implement DAPA and expanded DACA once it does.

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Successful R-1 Change of Status Petition

David F. Vedder and Daniel C. Ross recently secured a change of status on behalf of Pastor Andres

Villalpando.  Pastor Villalpando is a Mexican citizen ordained in the Southern Baptist faith.  He originally entered the United States on a B-1 tourist visa but approached our firm about changing his status to R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker after First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach offered him a position as Pastor for Hispanic Ministries.  

We filed a timely change of status petition on his behalf and successfully prosecuted it to approval. 

The attorneys at David F. Vedder, P.A. are experienced in both immigrant and nonimmigrant religious worker visas.  Further, we urge the Spanish speaking community interested in First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach to attend Pastor Villalpando’s services at 11 a.m. every Sunday morning at 118 N. Palmetto Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida.

USCIS to Begin Accepting Requests for Expanded DACA on Feb. 18

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on Feb. 18, 2015. That will be the first day to request DACA under the revised guidelines established as part of President Obama’s recent announcements on immigration.

USCIS advises the public to be extra careful to avoid immigration scams. To learn how to identify and report scams, and how to find authorized legal assistance at little or no cost, go here .

Go to uscis.gov/immigrationaction or uscis.gov/accionmigratoria and enter your email address to get updates whenever USCIS posts new content about the executive actions.

If you have questions, in English or Spanish, you can call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD for the hearing-impaired: 1-800-767-1833).

2015 Las Vegas EB-5 Conference

David Vedder recently attended the 2015 Las Vegas EB-5 Conference presented by EB5 Investors Magazine. This one-day event delivered an intimately interactive and premium networking
experience for all attendees and sponsors, and provided valuable information on various EB-5
topics such as regional center issues, using EB-5 for financing or immigration purposes, and
current legal trends.

Mr. Vedder had the opportunity to see keynote speaker Congressman Jared Polis, chair of the NewDem Coalition's Immigration Task Force and sponsor of The American Entrepreneurship and Investment Act which would reform and make permanent the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa program. Attorney Vedder also had the chance to discuss pending EB5 Legislation with Senator Rand Paul.

Queens Examiner: Congresswoman and Attorney Warn Immigrants About Reform Scams

As reported by the Queens Examiner, Congresswoman Grace Meng and Neena Dutta, Chair of AILA's New York Chapter, warned undocumented immigrants to be on alert for scams promising citizenship or a fast track to protection once President Obama's executive actions on immigration take effect. 

The article notes that forms to apply for DAPA will not be available until at least May, while forms for expanded DACA will not be released until next month. Please continue to share AILA's Consumer Alert and anti-notario PSAs widely in your communities. Read this story from Queen's Examiner

Huffington Post: Obama Tells Congress Not To Fight Past Battles On Immigration Again

The Huffington Post notes that President Obama only mentioned the word "immigration" twice in his State of the Union address last night, and didn't make the impassioned pleas he has made in past years for immigration reform. Instead, his message was that Congress should stop fighting him on his executive actions on immigration, stating "If we're going to have arguments, let's have arguments—but let's make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country...Yes, passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student, and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is taken from her child, and that it's possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants."

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Mexican Consulates in the U.S. Will Issue Copies of Birth Certificates...Starting Today!

The Mexican government announced that starting today, Mexican consulates in the U.S. will issue copies of birth certificates registered in Mexico. To obtain certified copies, Mexican nationals should visit the nearest consulate, present an official proof of identity, fill out an application and pay a fee of $13 per certified copy, and, if they have it, provide their Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP).
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Chair Mo Goldman applauds the new policy stating, "This announcement and change in policy comes at a critical juncture for millions of Mexican citizens living in the U.S. that may be eligible for DAPA or DACA."

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