GuatemalaTPS.Info

Todo el mundo está esperando para la palabra de la administración de Obama sobre la aplicación de TPS guatemalteco, y su aspecto más y más probable que aún nos queda un poco de una espera por delante de nosotros. Entretanto, las personas reúnen sus documentos, cabildeo de sus gobiernos y preguntándose si existe cualquier otra cosa que pueden hacer. Además de los pocos beneficios de inmigración anunciados por USCIS al principio de junio, vale la pena recordar que toda la gama de beneficios de inmigración ordinaria siguen estando disponibles para los ciudadanos guatemaltecos. Estos incluyen peticiones de la familia y de empleo, las solicitudes de asilo y ajuste de estado.

Mientras la gente usualmente piensan de estos beneficios se está disponible para aquellos inmigrantes que están aquí “legalmente” (es decir, en estado), incluso los inmigrantes aquí fuera de estado pueden ser bien servidos por al menos algunos de estos beneficios. Inmigrantes que esta fuera de estado casada con ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos o residentes legales permanentes pueden todavía solicitar visados familiares, aunque el proceso es más complicado y es probable que requieran una audiencia delante de un juez de inmigración. Las solicitudes de asilo son quizás los más notables de estos beneficios porque estén disponibles para inmigrantes que está en estado y los que están fuera de estado y también incluso las personas que son capturadas en los procedimientos de eliminación (expulsión).

Hay unos casos recientes relacionados con peticiones de asilo de América Central, incluyendo uno que ha recibido mucho atención de los medios. El caso de Lesly Yajayra Perdomo ha atraído una gran cantidad de atención nacional.  Eso es porque sugiere que la mujer guatemalteca puede ser capaz de solicitar asilo sola en virtud de su sexo y nacionalidad.  No es muy probable que este caso vaya resultar en un cambio de ley de asilo general, pero lo que si ensena es que la posibilidad de asilo como un tipo de inmigración es disponible para  inmigrantes de Guatemala y el resto del mundo.

En resumen, si hay beneficios de inmigración que estén disponibles para usted, es mejor usarlos en ves de esperar que el TPS vaya ser aprobado.  Si hay posibilidad de cumplir los requisitos para cualquiera de estos beneficios de inmigración, valiera la pena llevar su caso a un abogado de inmigración competente. El podrá escuchar los detalles de su caso y explicar los derechos y oportunidades que tiene.  Si aún no cuenta con un abogado de inmigración y le gustaría tener las respuestas a sus preguntas, seria un placer  ayudarle.  Simplemente envíenos un correo electrónico a Guatemala@kolasinski-law.com o llámenos al (209) 408-0104 (para ayuda en inglés) o al (209) 542-4529 (para ayuda en español).

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Everyone is waiting for word from the Obama administration about the Guatemalan TPS application, and it’s looking more and more likely that we still have a bit of a wait ahead of us. In the meantime, people are gathering their documents, lobbying their governments, and wondering if there’s anything else they can do. In addition to the few immigration benefits announced by USCIS in early June, it is worth remembering that the full range of ordinary immigration benefits are still available Guatemalan citizens. These include family and employment petitions, requests for asylum, and adjustment of status.

While people usually think of these benefits as being available to those immigrants who are here “legally” (that is, in status), even immigrants who are here out of status can be well served by at least some of these benefits. Out of status immigrants who are immediate relatives of US citizens or legal permanent residents can still apply for family visas, although the process is more complicated and will write likely require a hearing in front of an immigration judge. Asylum requests are perhaps the most noteworthy of these benefits, as they’re available to both in status and out of status immigrants and even people who were caught in removal (deportation) proceedings.

There a few recent cases involving Central American asylum petitions, including one that has received quite a bit of media attention. The case of Lesly Yajayra Perdomo has drawn a great deal of national attention for its suggestion that Guatemalan women may be able to apply for asylum by virtue of their gender and nationality alone. While it is incredibly unlikely that the case will result in such a broad change to asylum law, it does highlight the availability of asylum as a form of immigration relief for a significant number of immigrants from Guatemala and the rest of the world.

In short, there is no sense in waiting for TPS to be granted if other, perhaps more certain, immigration benefits are available. If there is a chance that you qualify for any of these immigration benefits, it is likely well worth your time to bring a case to a competent immigration attorney who can listen to your story explaining what rights and opportunities you have.  If you don’t have an immigration attorney yet and would like to have your questions answered, we would be happy to help you. Just email us at Guatemala@kolasinski-law.com or call us at (209) 408-0104 (for help in English) or (209) 542-4529 (para asistencia en Español).

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The last few weeks have seen several promising signs indicating that TPS for Guatemala may be approved soon. This has obviously generated a lot of excitement, and has led to a growing number of questions about what people can do now to prepare for a grant of TPS. So, in the interest of making everyone’s lives a little bit easier, we are starting a series of posts with tips to help you prepare.  This is the first installment in that series.

1) Pull together all of the paperwork that you’ll need to file the TPS application.

In order to qualify for TPS, you have to submit two forms: I-821 (the application for temporarry protected status) and I-765 (the application for work authorization).  I-821 requires you to submit proof of two things: 1) that you are a national of the affected country and 2) that you were here before the “effective date” and have remained in the US continuously since that date.

If Guatemalan TPS is approved, you will need to provide a copy of one or more of the following in order to prove your Guatemalan nationality:

A. Your Guatemalan  passport  (Best)

B. A Guatemalan Birth Certificate and some form of official photo identification  (OK)

C. Any other official national identity document from Guatemala that has your name and picture or fingerprint on it. (If you have to)

You should use the best form of ID you have available, and are allowed to submit multiple forms of ID if you have them. Remember that you can submit a copy, and are not required to submit your actual passport or original birth certificate.

Next, you have to submit proof of your date of entry. If you came through a border checkpoint and have an entry stamp in your passport, you’re all set.  If not, you can use an I-94 entry/departure record (if you have one), or some of the documents in the next group (A through E below). The key here is to prove that you entered the U.S. before the “effective date” of the TPS. The effective date hasn’t been determined yet (and won’t be until TPS is issued), but is most likely going to be around May 29, 2010.

You will also need to submit proof that you have been in the US continuously since before the effective date of the TPS.  So, you should take this time to gather any and all evidence that you have been in the U.S. continuously since before the end of May. This can include:

A.  Any employment records, such as W-2′s, pay stubs, old tax returns, etc.

B. Proof of bills you’ve paid over the last few months, including rent, utilities, etc. (they have to be in your name, and have to have dates on them.

C. School records for yourself or your children, showing that you or your children attended U.S. schools during the time period in question.

D. Hospital or medical records showing you or your children went to the doctor or hospital.

E.  Letters of attestation from your church, union, or other formal organization that support your claim to residence.  This category is often the least-preferred form of proof, but can work in a pinch, or to support something from groups A through D or F, below.

F. Other documents showing that you’ve been here, such as receipts, wire transfer documents (if you sent money back home), birth certificates for U.S. born children, deeds, mortgages, contracts, and so on. Basically, anything you have that has your name on it and a date is something you want to have handy.

We recommend that you sort your documents according to the above categories, and then put them in chronological order, so as to make the review process easier for the USCIS officer. In fact, this list of documents is largely drawn from USCIS’s own instructions for preparing form I-821.

If you have any questions about this post or the tips above, please post it in the comments below, email us at Guatemala@Kolasinski-Law.com, or contact our firm directly at (209) 408-0104 or (877) 573-0018.

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We have received some reports of people falsely claiming that TPS has been approved and offering to submit TPS applications on behalf of immigrants (for a fee, of course). At this moment, TPS has not been granted for Guatemala, and any such claims are (at the least) incorrect.

Indeed, some of the reports that we’ve seen have made it clear that the offers of assistance are nothing more than a well-orchastrated fraud.  While it is despicable that anyone would use such a sensitive topic to scam money from a vulnerable audience, there is (unfortunately) no shortage of despicable fraudsters out there.

So, we urge our readers to protect themselves by keeping the following in mind:

1. Don’t believe everything you read or hear.  If TPS is approved, it will be announced very clearly in a variety of trusted places, including this site and our sister blog.
2. Verify with a trusted source.  Regardless of what anyone says, TPS will not be official until it is announced by the Obama administration.  Announcements of TPS status (and any other official immigration news) are made on the USCIS press release page.
3. You can’t apply for TPS until it is officially announced. Anyone who claims that they can help you prepare your TPS application before TPS approval is announced by USCIS is either mistaken or lying.

We understand that there is a great deal of tension and anticipation surrounding the TPS request, and that this makes for fertile ground for scammers. Please take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones, and don’t let a slick-tongued scam artist take advantage of you.  If you or someone you know believes that they are the victim of fraud, contact an attorney or your local police department.

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