The Emerald Isle Immigration Center's highly qualified staff assists clients in many aspects of immigrant life and law. The EIIC prides itself on the extraordinary services it provides.

USCIS Premieres Video Highlighting its Historic Connections to Ellis Island

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today released a new documentary video, USCIS and the Legacy of Ellis Island, following an internal premiere for the agency’s employees. From 1892 to 1954, the federal immigration service and its employees processed over twelve million immigrants at the Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York Harbor. 

The video, created by USCIS, tells the story of Ellis Island from the perspective of those who worked there, highlighting the historical connections between our agency’s mission to administer lawful immigration to the U.S. and this iconic port of entry in New York.

“USCIS holds a distinctive place in history for its role in processing immigrants into the fabric of our nation,” USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said to employees at the premiere. “It remains an undisputable fact that America is a nation of immigrants. As employees, we all have an essential duty in honoring and preserving that legacy.”

The video consists of three chronological thematic chapters: 

Chapter One: Creating Ellis Island: Introduces the audience to the origins of the federal Immigration Service, Ellis Island, and its role in our agency’s early history.

Chapter Two: Working on the Island: Explores the often overlooked roles of Ellis Island’s employees and their importance to the operation of the nation’s busiest immigration station.

Chapter Three: Remembering Ellis Island: examines the closing of Ellis Island, discusses its historical legacy, and emphasizes its lasting connection to USCIS.

The result of extensive historical research, USCIS produced the video with the support of the National Park Service, who provided access to Ellis Island’s historic collections and enabled filming on-location at Ellis Island.

Watch the video on the USCIS YouTube channel.

DV-2019 Green Card Lottery Application Status Check Opens May 15th

 

Applicants who submitted an entry under the Diversity Visa 2019 green card lottery (DV-2019) can check the status of their application online starting on May 15, 2018, at noon (EDT). The DV-2019 entry period opened on October 18, 2017, and closed on November 22, 2017. Only confirmation information for entries submitted during this period are valid for checking your status.

All DV-2019 applicants must check their status online, and will not receive a notification letter or e-mail from the U.S. government. Diversity Visa Entry Status Check will only be provided through the Department of State secure online site. Until September 30, 2019, entrants are able to check the status of their entry through the E-DV website at http://dvlottery.state.gov/ESC. Entrants need to use their own confirmation page information from the time of their entry to check the status to find out if their Diversity Visa Lottery entry was or was not selected. Entrants will need to enter their last name, year of birth and confirmation number from the receipt.

The Department of State advises the public of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to potential Diversity Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants.

Please keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2019, even if you are not selected on May 15, 2018. The Department of State may select more DV-2019 entries on October 1, 2018 or after.

All lottery applicants who were assisted at our office would have received a copy of their application confirmation page with their confirmation number. Please contact our office if you need the information again.

Selected entrants must confirm their qualifications, submit their immigrant visa and alien registration application, prepare supporting documents, and have a consular interview. Visa number allocations are determined by the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act which determines the number of diversity immigrant visas available each year. Selected entrants will only be scheduled for an interview when and if there is a visa number available. Before being interviewed, each applicant must pay the Diversity Visa Lottery fee of $330 per person which is not refundable. For more detailed information, including steps to take to prepare for the consulate interview, go to https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/diversity-visa/if-you-are-selected.html.

It is expected that the next application period for the DV Lottery will be between October and November this year. Official dates, rules and eligible countries should be announced by late September. For more information, go to the official US State Department website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. You may also contact our office in the early fall for more information and assistance to complete another application. Be aware that the application for the DV lottery is free and you do not need to pay anyone to enter.

Citizenship Class registration

Registration for our citizenship classes will take place on Saturday, May 12 at 10 AM at Emerald Isle Immigration Center located at 5926 Woodside Avenue, Woodside NY 11377.

For more information on class schedule and requirements visit our class website.