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Earthquakes, tsunamis, radiation, mass protests and civil unrest, and now the U.S. bombing yet another country, this time Libya. How can Americans traveling abroad protect themselves? The U.S. State Department has three programs every American should be aware of before going abroad, if you don't mind having your personal information in a government database: STEP, ACS and Task Force Alert. I mentioned STEP and Task Force Alert briefly in my prior post, State Department Information on Japan … [Read more...]
Immigration and Firm News
March 21, 2011 by ·
March 20, 2011 by ·
The U.S. State Department, which issues visas abroad, issues U.S. passports and looks after the safety of U.S. citizens overseas, has a lot of useful information following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as the nuclear radiation situation that is evolving. Here are some useful sites and contact information: U.S. Citizens in Japan Contact Information for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo: For calls from within the U.S. 1-888-407-4747 For calls from outside the U.S. 1-202-501-4444 For … [Read more...]
March 3, 2011 by ·
The Seattle Times reports today that the U.S. Passport Office in downtown Seattle will open its doors to the public on Saturday, March 12 from 9am to 3pm to encourage more people to apply for passports. Normally open by appointment only for expedited service or complex cases, the Seattle Passport Office is located at the Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Ave., Suite 992. Usually, applicants can apply by mail or in person at post offices, city and county offices, or at Neighborhood Service … [Read more...]
December 15, 2010 by ·
The U.S. State Department announced today that the family-based permanent legal immigration quota will retrogress in January. The State Department makes monthly estimates about visa use around the world through an extremely complex formula that hardly anyone understands. Although the State Department posts a brief explanation online, it does not adequately reflect the true complex nature of calculating when visas are available. Not only does the State Department have to monitor how many … [Read more...]
November 8, 2010 by ·
Immigration enforcement legislation creates problems for U.S. citizens as well as for immigrants. Over the last few years, we have seen growth in our American citizen clientele because of new federal and state documentation burdens enacted under the guise of national security or to combat illegal immigration. The most common refrain we hear is: "I grew up in the U.S. I always thought I was an American but never had anything to show for it and I never needed the proof until now." Ironically, we … [Read more...]
August 10, 2010 by ·
Two new electronic procedures have been introduced by the U.S. State Department (DOS) concerning visa processing at U.S. Consulates abroad. One is new final rule that allows DOS to require applicants to use a new web-based online DS 260 form. This form will eventually replace the hard copy DS 230 form used for processing immigrant visas. For the last several months, temporary non-immigrants have been using a web-based online DS160 form for non-immigrant visas. While the State Department may … [Read more...]
