Summer fun with ice cream parties hosted by the IPC
Seniors enjoying the ice cream social at Café Eireann in Dorchester on Wednesday.
This week the seniors participated in ice cream parties at our two locations, the Cara Club in Brighton and at Café Éireann in Dorchester. Both groups about 60 in total turned out with smiles on their faces in anticipation of meeting folks some of whom don’t get to see each other too often and got to catch up with each other. Thanks to Pat Moran who made some crafts for the group at Café Éireann and thanks to those who help make the event run so smoothly. Also thanks to Kevin O’Sullivan who showed some videos at the Cara Club.
As we head toward the end of the summer you might be returning from a lovely vacation with your families and we look forward to hearing all your stories on your return.
Café Éireann resume Wednesday September 3rd at the IPC, 15 Rita Road, Dorchester.
Cara Club resumes Monday Sept 8th at the Veronica Smith Senior Center, 20 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton
In the mean time if you need to book a book on the bus for the Monthly Mass & Luncheon on Thursday Sept 18th please do so by calling 855 479 2472 and leaving your name, number and names of people in your group.
Immigration and U.S. Citizenship News
by Kieran C. O’ Sullivan; Immigration Counselor
Call: 617-265-5300 Ext. 16
H-1B visa summary
At the end of the summer each year, we get calls and emails from people here on the J visas or as summer tourists about the H-1B visa. The H-1B visa is a temporary employment visa issued for an initial period of one to three years (with the option to renew it for a total of six years). Because of the current shortage of skilled workers in certain areas, this visa has become extremely popular with American employers, and the allotment of H-1Bs goes quickly each year. The 65,000 coming available on Oct. 1, 2014 are all gone already. This is because employers filed for them back on April 1, six months ahead of time. Many people are not aware of how popular the category is, and thus are left with few options if they wait too long to apply.
If you have a university degree or professional qualification, you may be eligible for the H-1B visa. You must be sponsored by a U.S. employer, have a degree or diploma appropriate to the field of work (if a diploma, you must also have 3 years of experience in the field), and be offered the prevailing wage for the position by the employer. If the degree/diploma/work experience is from a foreign nation, it must be evaluated by an agency approved by USCIS. Contact us for a list of evaluation centers in the USA.
The employer in most cases does not have to advertise the position and/or prove that you are not taking a job from a U.S. citizen. The position must be a position that requires a degree and should be "tied in" with your particular training. The immigrant’s credentials must be documented as appropriate for the specialty occupation. It is very important to begin this process many months ahead because it can take longer than anticipated especially if you have to get documents from overseas.
If Congress acts to increase the number of H-1B visas available, we will publish the news here. We also include immigration bulletins in newsletters to people on our newsletter list. If you are not in our database for these newsletters, contact our main number to put your address in our database.
Good moral character and U.S. Citizenship
In general, an applicant for USC must show that he or she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period (typically five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen) prior to filing for naturalization.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are not limited to the statutory period in determining whether an applicant has established good moral character. Today with advances in data retention and technology, an arrest from decades ago not previously known to USCIS could become a major issue. An applicant is permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has ever been convicted of murder. An applicant is also permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has been convicted of an aggravated felony. Many legal residents have been deported as a result of criminal convictions. Any resident who has had a prior arrest or conviction should consult an immigration attorney prior to leaving the U.S. or applying for U.S. citizenship.
Legal Clinic
Everyone who attends our free immigration clinics gets to have a free consultation with leading immigration attorneys. Our next clinic will be at 6:30 pm on September 2nd, at The Banshee, Dorchester.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained in it is provided to inform generally, and is not intended as a substitute for individual advice. Immigration law is subject to frequent changes and individual circumstances can affect the application of certain legal provisions. For individual legal advice, please contact the Irish Pastoral Centre directly regarding upcoming legal clinics or consultation with an immigration attorney.
First Annual Peg Geraghty Memorial Cup
The IPC will hold the First Annual Peg Geraghty Memorial Cup Monday, September 29, 2014 at South Shore Country Club in Hingham beginning at 10 a.m.
Peg Geraghty was a tireless advocate for the Irish Community in Boston and a most generous benefactor to the IPC. “We’re so pleased and grateful that Peg’s family has allowed the IPC to establish this annual tribute and complement her legacy in our community, and we sincerely hope that you can join us in honoring her,” said IPC Executive Director Megan Carroll.
Peg, along with Eddie Barron and many members of the Irish and Irish American community, were founding members of the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton in 1989. She served as a Board member of the Eire Society and was an inaugural underwriter of the Stonehill College Irish Studies program abroad. Peg was a loyal supporter and keen participant in many Irish county events including two annual Donegal banquets. She was a dedicated advocate and supporter of the Boston Irish Famine Memorial Committee, as well as an active member and generous supporter of the Irish Social Club of Boston. She and her late husband, Tom, joined the early committee initiated by Tom Flatley in 1975 to bring the Irish Art Treasures from Dublin to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1976, and they were generous participants in the capital improvements at the Hyde Park YMCA. Peg was also a board member of Suffolk University and the Hyde Park Cooperative Bank (now Commonwealth Bank); former President of Geraghty Associates Real Estate of Hyde Park; and a long-time teacher in the Boston Public Schools.
Registration for the tournament will begin at 10 a.m., with a driving range and putting green available; and a boxed lunch will be served prior to the 12 noon shotgun. The evening program will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the presentation of tournament prizes and the Peg Geraghty Memorial Cup. Registration is $125 per golfer and includes an 18-hole round of golf, cart, and dinner. A reservation for dinner only is $50, and tables of eight are available. Non-golfers may explore the lovely shops of Hingham Square.
Various levels of sponsorships and advertising opportunities are available, and all donors will be recognized in the program book. To make a dinner reservation or to obtain golf registration forms for singles or foursomes, and for sponsorship information please visit www.ipcboston.org, email us at [email protected], or call 617-265-5300.
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