A. STATUTORY NUMBERS

1. This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during October. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations were made, to the extent possible under the numerical limitations, for the demand received by September 9th in the chronological order of the reported priority dates. If the demand could not be satisfied within the statutory or regulatory limits, the category or foreign state in which demand was excessive was deemed oversubscribed. The cut-off date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a number. Immediately that it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a cut-off date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new cut-off date which has been announced in this bulletin.

The fiscal year 2009 limit for family-sponsored preference immigrants determined in accordance with Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality (more…)

A Los Angeles based clothing company that once proudly proclaimed it was a haven for illegal alien workers has now been forced to layoff more than 1,600 of them or face stiffer penalties from the Federal Government.

American Apparel, known locally and nationally for it’s Legalize LA and Legalize the USA campaigns and what some would call racy or suggestive advertising, has approximately 1,800 employees with questionable documentation and some using fake or stolen social security numbers. The company has said it will give preferential status to any discharged employee that can prove they are authorized to work in the US. They also stated that the number of those laid off represents a small percentage of it’s overall employee base (10,000).

A government audit of American Apparels employment records about two months ago revealed the discrepancies.

“There are approximately 1,500 workers facing termination during the month of September,” said Peter Schey, a lawyer for American Apparel. The company “is very disappointed and disheartened at having to terminate a very large number of workers who by and large have been reliable contributors to the success of the company.” (more…)