Month: March 2017

如何在堪萨斯州考驾照 / 换驾照 – 以及工卡相关问题

从2011年7月开始，Kansas Department of Revenue堪萨斯州财政局 (KDOR)开始利用美国公民和移民局的“系统性外国人居停留权利审核” “Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement System” (SAVE)。 堪萨斯车管所 (DMV) 作为财政局的一部分，也会使用SAVE这个系统来确定你的身份。

第一步: 如果你想要考取或者跟换堪萨斯驾照的话，你首先需要去驾照考试站报名考试。所有考试站的位置可以在这里找到：http://www.ksrevenue.org/dmv-dlstations.html 每个考试站都独具特色。

第二步: 获得SAVE验证。如果您在美国有合法身份 – 工作签证，学生签证，政治避难申请人，绿卡持有者等等 – 你在考试站的时候， 你必须提交所有证明身份的，政府签发的原始文件，举例来说：

  • I-327 (再次入境许可证)
  • I-551 (绿卡)
  • I-571 (难民旅行证件)
  • I-766 (工卡)
  • 公民证明
  • 公民归化证书
  • 移民签证
  • 临时的在护照上的I-551盖章
  • I-94 记录
  • 未过期的护照
  • 如果是F-1学生的话，I-20表
  • 如果是J-1交换生的话，DS-2019表

第三步：驾驶执照审查员将使用你的文件来确认你的合法身份。如果你的合法身份得到验证，你就可以参加考试了。如果你的合法身份未通过验证，你可以要求填写SAVE验证申请表（请在此下载：验证申请表）。填写好过后，你可以通过平邮方式向车管局提供用所有文件。你需要把表格填好后寄到SAVE，PO Box 2188，Topeka，KS 66601-2188或通过电子邮件的方式发至：LAWFUL.PRESENCE@KDOR.KS.GOV。车管局收到你的验证请求后，会通过邮件，电子邮件，或电话的方式，通知你可以去办理驾照了 。

办理驾照的时候，你同时需要带好可以证明你堪萨斯居住地址的信件。如果你改过名字的话，你需要带好法院文件显示名字更改。如果你是外州的驾照需要到堪萨斯来换取驾照的话，需要带好你的社安卡或者出生证明。

问：工卡申请了还没批下来可以换驾照吗？

答：一般来说是可以的。你需要把所有以上你具备的材料都复印好，如果你有任何移民局回执或者收据的话，一起寄到SAVE或者以电邮的形式给他们来确认你的合法身份。

问：工卡什么时候可以换，多少钱，多久可以拿到？

答：工卡一般可以在作废前90天内提出申请换取。 工卡的政府费用跟你的申请类别是有关的。例如，学生的OPT工卡需要缴费，庇护的首次工卡是免费的。现在来说的话，移民局需要最少75天来审批。 超过90天的并不罕见。在你收到回执条以后，你可以自己到USCIS的网站上查询审批进度。

问： 堪萨斯驾照很难考么？有中文么？

答：堪萨斯驾照首先有笔试，然后有路考。笔试的题目需要认真学习。有些问题还是很刁钻的。你有三次的笔试机会，如果你通不过的话，你必须要等待很久才能重新要求笔试。路考的话，关键在于成熟稳重，不要犯不该犯的小错误。实在紧张的话，我推荐提前实地演习，熟悉路况。我尚未听说堪萨斯州有中文试卷。如果有读者跟我的经验不同，欢迎分享。我会建议提前咨询你想去的那个考试站。路考可以携带翻译。其他州会有中文试卷，比如说加利福尼亚。每个州的法律都是不一样的。

问：驾照有效期多久？

答：这个跟你的身份是有关的。学生的驾照一般和I-20表的作废日期一致，其他的会跟工卡或者绿卡到期日期一致。如果你的驾照过期很久了再去换的话，根据你的过期时间长短，可能会让你重新考试的。牢记：无证驾驶是违法的。

问：游客身份可以办理堪萨斯州驾照？

我的经验是游客身份一般不能办理堪萨斯州驾照。一，游客的身份证明堪萨斯居民有挑战性。旅游签证的有效期只有6个月。二，而且你必须要有社会安全号码或者要有社安局出示的说明为什么你没有社安号码。三，是保险问题。保险购买一般也需要社安号。无保险开车是非法的。但是，我听说加利福尼亚车管局可以让游客办理驾照。

问：国际驾照有用么？

中国大陆居民是不可以办理国际驾照的。中国不是联合国1949年日内瓦道路交通公约的成员国。国际驾照就是有效驾照的翻译本，必须要跟驾照一起使用。国际驾照必须要在居住国办理。解释一下：如果你有美国驾照，你可以在美国办理国际驾照，然后去其他国家使用。但是你的中国驾照是不能用来在中国办理国际驾照的。即使你可以使用你的中国驾照租到车，但这并不是有法律效力的证件。开车不出事不遇到警察什么的自然没关系，万一出事或遇到较真的就比较麻烦。

 

USCIS Confirms Lottery Selection Process for 2018 H-1B Petitions

American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) confirmed on March 27, 2017 that USCIS will be conducting a lottery for Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B petitions. The process for receiving and receipting H-1B cap cases for 2018 will be the same as with prior years. During the period of April 3-7, 2017, if USCIS receives enough petitions to reach the 65,000 statutory H-1B cap and the 20,000 cap for petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption, a lottery will be conducted. As in the past, a random computer selection will be run first the 20,000 master’s cap petitions. Any petitions not selected for the master’s cap will then be included in the random selection process for the 65,000 regular cap.

Good luck to everyone facing the lottery this year.

2017年3月27日 - 移民局确认，2018年度收到和收到H-1B上限案件的过程将与前几年相同，包括随机抽奖。因此，如果在2017年4月3日至7日期间收到足够的请愿书达到65,000个法定H-1B上限，并且收到高等学位提交的20,000个申请人数，则会像过去一样，随机的电脑选择将首先针对20,000的高等学位请愿书。任何未被抽中的高等学位请愿书将被纳入65,000常规上限的随机选择过程中。

How To: Temporary Residents in the United States applying for a Kansas Driver’s License

In July 2011, Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) began utilizing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s “Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement System” (SAVE), to determine the status of temporary residents in the United States when such applicants apply for a Driver’s License.

If you are a temporary resident to the United States, follow these instructions for obtaining a SAVE Verification when applying for a Kansas Driver’s License:

  1. Visit a Full Service Driver’s License Exam Station. A list of all locations can be found at http://www.ksrevenue.org/dmv-dlstations.html
  2. At the Exam Station, you must present all original government issued documents that pertain to your immigration status, including the following:Screen Shot 2017-03-17 at 2.42.58 PM
  3. The Driver’s License Examiner will use your documents to verify your immigration status with SAVE. If your immigration status is verified, the process to obtain a Kansas Driver’s License will continue.
  4. If your immigration status is NOT verified, you will be required to fill out a SAVE Verification – Request Form (download here: save verification request form) and provide copies of all documents used for the initial verification to the Driver’s License Examiner via USPS mail to Division of Vehicles, SAVE Coordinator, PO Box 2188, Topeka, KS 66601-2188 or via e-mail: LAWFUL.PRESENCE@KDOR.KS.GOV
  5. The Driver’s License Examiner will send all of your documents to the home office where additional verification will be administered by the SAVE Coordinator.
  6. After additional verification is received, you will be notified via mail, email or phone as to your immigration status.

 

USCIS Bought Back Certain H-1B Visa Premium Processing After a Long Halt

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has brought back premium processing for certain CAP exempt petitions.

On April 3, 2017, USCIS halted premium processing of H-1B visa petitions, for up to six months. While H-1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for a Form I-129. Prior to the halt, employers can request premium processing of H-1B petitions to ensure that USCIS will review the petition within 15 days at a cost of $1,225. Most non-premium processing types of H-1B petitions are currently averaging 6 to 8 months processing time. This suspension will apply to all H-1B regular cap and master’s cap petitions filed for the FY18 H-1B.

The only option for H-1B employers is that they may submit requests to expedite an H-1B petition if they meet the Expedite Criteria. The employer must meet one of these concerns concerns as “severe financial loss,” “emergency situation” or “humanitarian reasons.”

USCIS said the halt is necessary to adjudicate long-pending petitions before the high volume of incoming petitions. However, the plan may cause significant impact on the fee-funded USCIS’s revenue.

USCIS Report on 2015 H-1B Workers Shows Increased Number in Filing But Decreased Rate of Approval

In fiscal year 2015 (Oct 1, 2014 – Sept 31, 2015), USCIS received 348,699 H-1B petitions, a combination of initial employment, concurrent employment, requests for extension, and amended petitions. Among them, 39% were for initial employment. FY 2015 represents a 9% increase in filing form 2014. However, USCIS approved 275, 317 of all the petitions, a 13% decrease from the previous year.

USCIS also reported that 71% of all H-1B Beneficiaries (a total of 195,347) were India nationals, and the workers from the People’s Republic of China represent the second biggest group – 10% (a total of 26,669) of all beneficiaries. Workers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees made up 45% and 44% of all H-1B beneficiaries respectively. The majority of them were employed in computer-related areas with a median salary of $79,000 a year.

Read the full report here: 17022809