Immigration Law Answers Blog : Texas Immigration Lawyer & Attorney : Kraft & Associates Law Firm : Visas, Green Card, Citizenship, Deportation : Dallas, Texas

The U.S Department of State (DOS) has advised that there are no more employment-based visa numbers available for fiscal year 2009, which concludes September 30, 2009. This affects all employment based categories, but particularly applicants in the employment-based non-ministerial fourth category (EB-4). The EB-4 non-ministerial category includes religious occupation, vocation and professional categories (but not the ministerial category).

The non-ministerial EB-4 category is set to expire September 30, 2009 and individuals in this category must have their adjustment of status applications approved or if they applied via consular processing, they must be admitted into the United States by midnight by September 30, 2009. Unless Congress extends the sunset provision, individuals in the EB-4 non-ministerial category are unable to file Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Applications or consular processing applications after September 30, 2009.

While the I-360 religious worker petitions (ministerial and non-ministerial categories) may still be filed before September 30, 2009, given the unavailability of visas in the EB-4 category the month of September, the Applications to Adjust Status (Form I-485) or applications for consular processing will not be accepted this month. Thus, adjustment of status applications that remained pending will not be approved unless a visa number had already been captured.
 
Individuals in the EB-4 ministerial category are eligible to file Adjustment of Status applications until October 1, 2009, when visas in the EB-4 category become available. Please visit the visa bulletin available at the DOS’s Web site.
 

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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.

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Do you have a pending Form I-360 Special Immigrant Religious Worker Petition? If so, you are now eligible to file an application to adjust your status to permanent resident. On June 25, 2009, in response the district court’s order in Ruiz-Diaz v. United States, No. CO7-1881RSL (W.D. Wash. June 11, 2009), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now accepting concurrently filed Form I-360 and Form I-485 Applications to Adjustment. Applicants who filed Form I-360 religious worker petitions and are currently pending with USCIS are immediately eligible to file Form I-485 Application to Adjust Status and Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization. USCIS has posted this notice on their website and is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/dkt_127-2_notice.pdf.
 
Under the district court's order, if you have a Form I-360 religious worker petition that is pending with USCIS as of June 11, 2009, then you are eligible to file Form I-485 and/or Form I-765. Also, applicants filing after June 11, 2009, are eligible to concurrently file Form I-360/I-485. The order protects foreign nationals from the accrual of unlawful presence and unauthorized work since any period of unlawful presence and unlawful employment will be tolled until will be tolled until September 9, 2009.
 
For additional information please see the USCIS Web site.
 

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