Siskind Susser is excited to announce that Lynn Susser was recently elected to ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers. ABIL is comprised of over 20 lawyers from top tier immigration practices with years of expertise and a comprehensive understanding of immigration law. For more information on ABIL, including a map of ABIL attorneys worldwide, visit their website.
The following articles are excerpts from ABIL’s monthly Immigration Insider, available here on their website.
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DOS Releases Instructions for the 2021 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
The Department of State (DOS) annually allocates visas for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For Fiscal Year 2021, there will be 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) available without a fee.
Only individuals from certain countries may qualify. The full list of eligible countries can be found beginning on page 16 of the DOS announcement.
If not born in an eligible country, there are two other possible ways to qualify.
- If your spouse was born in an eligible country.
- If you were born in an ineligible country in which neither of your parents was born or legally resident at the time of your birth, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the DV program.
Diversity Visa applicants must also adhere to the education work requirement of the program by having either:
- A minimum of a high-school or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education;OR
- A minimum of two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation which requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.
Details: Department of State announcement https://www.visalaw.com/wp-content/uploads/19092730.pdf.
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State Dept. Issues Reminder About Uses of Passport Books/Cards Under ‘Real ID’
The Department of State recently issued a reminder about upcoming changes to domestic air travel documentation requirements under the Real ID Act, which requires all state-issued identification documents to meet a set of minimum security standards. IDs that do not meet these standards will not be accepted for federal purposes, including as ID for boarding domestic flights. State IDs, such as driver’s licenses, may need updating.
The reminder notes that the U.S. passport book and U.S. passport card are both accepted by the Transportation Security Administration as ID for domestic flights. The passport card cannot be used for international air travel. In addition to its acceptance as ID for domestic flights, the passport card can be used for entering the United States at land border crossings and sea ports of entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The passport card costs $30 for adults who have a passport book, and $65 for first-time adult applicants. The card has the same validity period as the book (valid for 10 years for those over 16).
Details: Department of State reminder, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/how-a-passport-can-help-you-fly- domestically.html; Real ID website to check state status, https://web.archive.org/web/20171231015609/https://www.dhs.gov/real-id; Real ID FAQ , https://web.archive.org/web/20171013054330/https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.
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This newsletter was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (www.abil.com), of which Lynn Susser is an active member.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.