Date: 06/02/2008
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: USCIS office, Callowhill St. Philadelphia PA
I had my Interview today and it went great.
I arrived there at 8.15 AM and my appointment wasn't until 8.40 AM so while I was waiting one of the security officers there tried to calm some of our nerves .....
At exactly 8.40 AM my Name was called, I walked into a area where she stopped me real quick, greeted me and ask me for any kind of ID so it is really me.
Allrighty So I had my Citizenship interview today at the Seattle CIS office at 7:30am today (needless to say I was up at 5a on a freeeeeeeezing seattle morning ) . I got to the Seattle office at 7:00a got done with security had a nice chat with the security officers about the thx giving break and then headed up to the second floor to wait to be called. There were quite a few people in the waiting room at 7:30a. Around 7:40a the immigration officers started calling people for their interviews. I was called in at 8:10a and was greeted by the interview officer.
The news item and related documents are available here:
http://www.immigration.com/newslette...prmprocss.html
Please note, for now (June 2008), premium processing is only available if you meet ALL of the current requirements:
1. Your are currently on H-1;
2. Your H-1 status is expiring within 60 days when you apply for I-140 premium processing; and
3. You are not eligible to receive 1-year H-1 extensions because your labor certification was filed less than one year ago.
This issue has come up several times. Here is what USCIS says:
USCIS Considerations to expedite Cases
All expedite requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and are granted at the discretion of the Director. The criteria are as follows:
* Severe financial loss to company or individual
* Extreme emergent situation
* Humanitarian situation
* Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States
This morning, I was working on explaining to a client (whom I respect greatly), one of the foremost musicians from India, how EB1 (Extraordinary Ability) category applies to musicians and performers. As I was sending him the basic information on EB1 category, I thought I will share the general criteria with all of you. This information is for EA, generally and applies to all fields - not just music. See attached.
Regards to all. Rajiv.
The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on October 1, 2025, the first shutdown in six years. After Congress failed to pass funding legislation before the September 30th deadline, all non-essential federal functions have been suspended.
For those navigating the US immigration system, this creates both disruptions and uncertainty. However, not all immigration services are affected equally. Understanding what's operating, what's shut down, and what you need to do right now is critical.