Immi-Guide

01/20/2017

Great News!

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today published a final rule to improve the ability of certain promising start-up founders to begin growing their companies within the United States…

12/29/2016

Fantastic news from USCIS! USCIS had issued a clarification about the updated forms. They will accept most forms through February 21, 2017! Please see the notice below:

Dear Stakeholder,
When new fees for most of our forms went into effect on December 23, 2016, we published updated versions of the forms at uscis.gov/forms. We strongly encourage customers to submit these new versions, which are updated with the new fees and have an edition date of 12/23/16.
We will accept prior versions of forms, with the exception of Form N-400, until February 21, 2017. However, all filings postmarked 12/23/16 or later must include the new fees or we will reject them.
We will accept only the 12/23/16 edition of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
The updated forms are currently available only at uscis.gov/forms, where all of our forms can be downloaded for free. We will issue another message when paper copies become available through our forms request line (800-870-3676) and forms by mail service.
Kind Regards,
Public Engagement Division

From The Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina

Download the latest versions of our forms from uscis.gov or order them by mail by calling 1-800-870-3676. Don't pay anyone for copies of our forms.

12/28/2016

Breaking immigration news: USCIS updates the forms without prior notice to immigration attorneys:
From AILA:

Today, December 23, 2016, USCIS posted a large number of new form versions. The forms all have an effective date of today, December 23, 2016, and the website indicates that no other versions of the forms are acceptable, with the exception of Form I-129. It appears USCIS is accepting prior version of Form I-129. No prior notice of these changes was given, and there was no alert sent to stakeholders today.
AILA reached out to USCIS and made it clear that it should have given notice to stakeholders and to demand a grace period during which prior form versions could be submitted. AILA also noted that form vendors need time to reprogram the case management software systems. USCIS responded that while it strongly encourages people to use the new version of the forms, as indicated on its website, it is aware that there may be older editions of the forms that have already been completed and are in the queue to be mailed and/or filed. USCIS said that it will be flexible and will apply discretion when receipting forms, rather than rejecting them outright.
Affected forms include the following: I-90, I-102, I-129, I-129CW, I-129F, I-130, I-131, I-131A, I-140, I-191, I-192, I-212, I-290B, I-360, I-485, I-485 Supplement A, I-525, I-539, I-600, I-600A, I-601, I-601A, I-612, I-690, I-694, I-698, I-751, I-765, I-800, I-800A, I-817, I-824, I-910, I-924, I-924A, I-929, I-942, I-942P, N-300, N-336, N-400, N-470, N-600, and N-600K.
Please also note that regardless of the form edition submitted, applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or after December 23, 2016, must include the new fees or USCIS will reject the submission.

The Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina is contacting our clients to prepare and re-sign the forms to be submitted.

12/08/2016

New international students statistics issued by ICE, Washington. There is an increased number of STEM students in 2106.

By ICE, Washington: F, M students up 2.9 percent; F, M STEM students up 10.1 percent from November 2015 There are 1.23 million international students with F (academic) or M (vocational) status stud…

11/17/2016

Police – Do not be afraid to call 911

Sometimes the best way to keep yourself safe is to call the police — especially if you feel like you’re in immediate danger or you’ve been injured by someone. If you have any doubt about your safety, you can call the police — even if you haven’t been physically hurt or touched in any way.

What Can the Police Do?

While you may be hesitant or afraid to call the police, they may be able to help and protect you when you need it the most. Police may:

Stop the abuse long enough for you to escape to a safe place.
Give you a temporary restraining order, or if not, refer you to the right court agency where you can ask for one, depending on your state.
Arrest your abuser.
Help you document the abuse, including taking pictures of your injuries and interviewing witnesses.
Help you find further assistance in your community by connecting you to a local domestic violence shelter or agency.
Don’t hesitate to call 911 or your local police department if you are in danger. Police in the US is different than in other countries, and they are here to protect and help you.

11/17/2016

What is credit score / credit card / cash card?

A credit score is a numerical expression based on a level analysis of a person’s credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of the person. A credit score is primarily based on a credit report information typically sourced from credit bureaus. Lenders, such as banks and credit card companies, use credit scores to evaluate the potential risk posed by lending money to consumers and to mitigate losses due to bad debt. Lenders use credit scores to determine who qualifies for a loan, at what interest rate, and what credit limits. Credit scoring is not limited to banks, other organizations, such as mobile phone companies, insurance companies, landlords, and government departments employ the same techniques. Having a good credit score in the US is extremely important!

A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) as a method of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holder’s promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card (usually a bank) creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the cardholder, from which the cardholder can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance. A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card.

A cash card can be any card that you can insert into an ATM or other cash dispenser, or a prepaid credit card, or a card with a preset cash value from a particular store (Costco or Subway), which is read by a cash card reader and used to pay for products or services at that retailer.

11/17/2016

How to open a bank account?

Having a bank account in the USA can be useful to pay your bills and to pay for your purchases without international transaction fees, establishing a good credit history in the USA, renting or purchasing a home and keeping your savings safe. Usually, everyone is able to open a bank account in the USA. Our clients rarely have issues with opening bank accounts. You can open a bank account even if you are temporarily in the USA on a tourist visa.

11/17/2016

Apply for driver's license at DMV:

11/17/2016

What is driver’s license and how to get it?

If you are a visitor in California (over 18 years of age) and have a valid driver license from your home state or country, you may drive in this state without getting a California driver license as long as your home state license remains valid.

If you become a California resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit which residents usually use.

People who are in the USA illegally, can apply for California driver’s license as well. Information about you will not be shared with US immigration. This type of driver’s license looks different from driver license of legally present residents.

You can prove that you are in the USA legally by showing your current visa, I-20 student documents, letters from immigration stating that your asylum or green card case was accepted for processing. You can also bring your work permit if you already have one.
You may be required to take a vision exam, written test and driving test to obtain California driver’s license. You may be able to take written test in your native language, so check with your local DMV if you can take the test in your native language.

For more information on how to get driver license, California ID or register your vehicle, please visit

11/17/2016

How to get a social security number

If you are an immigrant, there are two ways you can get a social security number:

You can apply for it in your home country before coming to the United States when filing an application for an immigrant visa (when you are coming here to live with your US citizen spouse or close relative).
You can visit a Social Security office in person. At the office, you will need to prove your identity (passport, green card) and work-authorized immigration status (your immigration paperwork). Social security offices are located in most cities and towns. You can locate the closest to you here: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp
For more information about social security number, please visit https://www.ssa.gov/.

This-Service-is-Not-Available-At-This-Time

11/17/2016

What is social security number and how to get it?

In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and people who are legally present in the USA and may have the right to work.

The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the United States government. Although its primary purpose is to track individuals for Social Security purposes. The Social Security number has become a de facto national identification number for taxation and other purposes.

Immigrants need a Social Security number to find a job in the USA, get legally paid, to pay US taxes, top open credit cards, sometimes to obtain the insurance etc.

How to get a social security number: https://immi-guide.com/howto-adjust-in-usa/

Business Immigration to the USA, H-1B visa lawyer, H-1B visa transfer, visas for startups, visas for entrepreneurs, extraordinary ability visa lawyer

11/17/2016

Keep an eye on expiration of your documents!

It is important to know when your documents expire:

Visa expiration: This is the last day you can enter the USA from abroad.

I-94 expiration: This is the last day you can legally be present in the USA.

Please keep in mind:

For people on B1/B2 visa: Visa expires 6 months after you entered the USA or sooner.

For people on H1B and other visas: Look at your visa approval letter and your I-94 stamp.

Work permit usually is valid for only 1 year. New work permits for people on asylum status last for 2 years.

Green card: Some green cards expire within 2 years; others expire in 10 years.

Travel document: Check the expiration date.

Driver’s license: Often expires on your birthday. Driver’s license usually is valid for 5 years.

Before your immigration documents expire, see an attorney to extend your legal status in the USA. If you would like to get a legal advice or help from the Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina, please call us today. 415-240-0083