by Kieran C. O'Sullivan
This week our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of victims of Hurricane Sandy and with the communities affected by the storms.
Hurricane Sandy delays flights
On the immigration front this week, a number of people were concerned about leaving the US on time as they stayed to the end of their authorized time period of stay. When, in such an instance flights or cancelled or other emergencies arise resulting in one being unable to depart on time as planned, it’s important to save documentation for future presentation to immigration and customs officials if questioned about a brief overstay. Newspaper reports/airline briefings or in the instance of a medical emergency – medical records should be retained because a person could be questioned about a brief overstay.
Travel warnings
I had a call last week from an Irish immigrant who was about to go visit one of the US islands without evidence of his lawful status. As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, we remind people to have all of their travel papers and identification in order for inspection by authorities. The holidays are a time when the terror alerts are often increased forcing authorities to step up enforcement and identification procedures. Check today to make sure your passports, green cards and/or other travel documents are valid and not expired.
Diversity Visa lottery
The application period for this year’s DV lottery closed on Saturday. The photograph requirements continue to be challenging for people and we were fortunate to have legal team volunteers who helped callers with the formatting of the photographs for the applications.
Winners will be selected between April and June of 2013. Once again we remind people to contact us if they hear from any person or agency with regard to winning a green card through the DV lottery. In the past people were tricked into submitting hundreds of dollars to scam entities for information on how to proceed with applications. Anyone who receives notification they are winners should contact us and arrange to consult our team of attorneys.
November legal clinic
The IPC holds a free legal clinic in Dorchester each month. Our next clinic is on Nov. 6th at 6:30 pm in The Banshee, 934 Dorchester Ave. Dorchester – On street parking available.
Email me today with your immigration query or a topic you would like us to cover: [email protected]
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.