Effective July 21, 2009, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed Premium Processing Service for nonimmigrant religious worker petitions filed by certain R-1 petitioners.  Only those petitioners who have successfully passed an on-site inspection are eligible to file under Premium Processing Service.  USCIS has implemented a site inspection requirement as part of the adjudication process [...]

For many temporary residents and employers in Canada, the recently increased processing times for extended work permits and visitor records through Vegreville have been a source of unwanted surprise and headache. With the onset of summer, Vegreville announced dramatically increased processing times, with waiting times for extended work permits rising from approximately 70 days to [...]

Effective July 1, 2009, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has unveiled a Pilot Project which will allow dependent children of temporary foreign workers in Ontario and Alberta to obtain an open work permit. Normally, dependent children of temporary foreign workers would have to meet the same requirements of other foreign workers to obtain a work [...]

Effective July 14, 2009, all citizens of the Czech Republic intending to visit Canada as a student, worker or tourist must apply for a visa through a Canadian visa post abroad before travelling to Canada. Please contact the Bomza Law Group if you have any questions or need a visa.

Effective July 14, 2009, all Mexican nationals coming to Canada as visitors or workers will require a visa before entering Canada.  This means that all Mexican nationals intending to travel to Canada temporarily as visitors, students, or workers will now be required to apply for a Canadian visa at a Canadian visa post abroad prior [...]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released its plan to focus its enforcement resources on US employers, which includes mass inspections of businesses accross the United States.  ICE is dedicating more resources to holding US employers accountable for their hiring records and compliance with employment eligibility and verification procedures.  This announcement has alerted employers [...]