Welcome to the Law Office of

 Lalita Haran

13295 Illinois Street, Suite 139, Carmel IN 46032, Ph: (765) 461-7279.

(Personal consultations: by appointments only)

and 

522 Belvedere Dr., Suite 106, Kokomo, IN 46901, Ph: (765) 854-1004.

      The Law Office of Lalita Haran focuses on the practice of U.S. immigration & Naturalization Law.  Attorney Lalita Haran is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Indiana State Bar Association and the Howard County Bar Association.

      Attorney Haran is admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana and also in India.  She graduated in Law from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, U.S.A. and also from the Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, M.P., India.

      Attorney Haran can help you with most of your U.S. immigration needs whether you are in any of the 50 States in the United States or even in another country.   Ms. Haran endeavors to give your immigration matter her individual attention and provides you the opportunity to speak, in Hindi, English or Tamil, directly with your immigration lawyer.  

The Law Office of Lalita Haran offers following services:

• Business and employment Immigration: EB1, EB2, EB3 and National Interest Waiver for Physicians serving in medically underserved areas, Schedule A for Nurses and Physical therapists.

• Employment and family based nonimmigrant visa H, L, P, O, K, Visitors (B), Students and TN

-H-1Bs (Portability and AC-21 extension), 

-L Intra-company transferees

-J-1 waiver of 2 year foreign residence requirement

-NAFTA workers

-Fiancee /family visa

-Extension and change of status

• Employment authorization and advance parole
• Adjustment of Status or Consular processing of immigrant visa
• Green Card
• Special Immigrants religious workers and self petitioner as victims of abuse

• Naturalization

Recent News 

H1B Cap is within reach The U.S. government reports that the advanced degree H1b exemption limit is reached.  Any further advanced degree H-1B applications would now be counted towards the general h1b cap which is also close to reach its ceiling limit. (posted 11/24/09)  Read more . . .

Trafficking Victims find support in new rules Parent and siblings below 18 yrs. of age of a victim of trafficking  may now seek nonimmigrant visa regardless of teh age of the T1 visa holder victim if they are threatened with retaliation because of teh escape of the victim of trafficking.  The provision would apply to both the accompanying as well as the following to join parent or such sibling.  (posted 11/24/09) 

The welcome change also includes certain situation where the petitioner dies pending adjudication of the petition for his/her immediate relatives.

Conrad 30 provision, EB-5 investor visa section and E-verify program are also extended for three years. (posted 11/3/09)

Immigrant visa for Religious non-minister worker: New law extends the provision for three more years. (posted 11/3/09)

Porting issue before BIA again: Day after tomorrow the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) hears on porting related cases.  BIA is to decide whether it should follow the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the Board's earlier decision.  The large issue remains whether immigration judge could determine validity of the I-140 employment based immigration petition and whether a foreign national could use the approved I-140 petition after changing employers.  (posted 09/29/09)  Read more . . .

New E-verify requirement for federal contractors becomes effective since September 8th, 2009 and ropes in their sub contractors.  Await my blog posting.  (posted 9/16/09) 

Immigration Reform (Comprehensive) is a likely probability.  Secretary Napolitano met with interest groups to discuss the reform.  In a statement she disclosed that she had spent considerable time on this subject talking to members of Congress and would involve the President; Congress; law enforcement; busines, labor and faith organizations and advocacy groups etc. (posted 8/21/09)

Top film actor from India, Shah Rukh Khan less pleased because delayed at Immigration in U.S.  read more... (posted 19 August 2009)   

A Florida Immigration Judge terminates imigration proceedings early 2009 as improperly instituted prior to adjudication of asylum claim.  (posted 7/23/09)

Employers: More worksite audits are planned this year than the last year.  Read more

I-140 Premium Processing resumed for most cases: USCIS announces that it would resume premium processing for certain I-140s from june 29, 2009. 

DHS amends policy to avoid Widow penalty: in a welcome chage of policy announced today June 9th, 2009 by the Director, Homeland Security, Janet Nepolitano directs the USCIS to suspend re/adjudication of surviving spouses' petitions based solely on the death of their U.S. citizen spouse.  The surviving spouse of the deceased U.S. citizen and their unmarried and under 18 yr old children are granted deferred action for two years.  The DHS release clarifies that this means that the removal proceedings against the surviving spouse and eligible children of the U.S. citizens would be suspended using the prosecutorial discretion.  The release also notes that the Congress should change the legal definition of "immediate relatives," to include surviving spouse.

Hispanic Judge nominated for Supreme Court:  President nominates Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme ourt who would fill the vacancy created by retirement of Judge Souter.  Judge Sotomayor is a Federal Appeals court judge from Second Circuit.

New H-1B Update As of the First of May, 2009, the h-1b annual quota is not yet filled up for the new Fiscal Year.  About 45,000 applications have been received so far, according to an update offerred by the USCIS.  In April, 2008 the Government Agency had received more than the annual quota on the first official filing day but was required to continue to accept applications for the next three days.  The total number of the H-1B applications received last year were upto three times the annual limit fixed by the Congress while this year even a month after the filing had started employers can still file H-1b petitions to hire foreign workers.  The marked difference may be due to the changing economic conditions combined with the new government regulations requiring employers to satisfy some additional requirements before hiring foreign national employees.  (posted 5/7/09)

H-1B petition filing season started April 1st.  As of April 20th about 44,000 new petitions have been filed.  The recession, job loss and the government offerred economic stimulus discouraging hiring of foreign workers may be the largest contributors to the fact that the annual H-1b quota is still available and not exhausted like last year when the Government received three times more applications than the available quota i.e. 65,000. 

The advanced degree exemption applications received so far have reached 20,000 which is the maximum allowed.  USCIS is continueing to receive the advanced degree applications even as it has received enough number of applications that could fill the exemption quota because the government agency's past experience shows that not all applications received would be approvable.

News for the Adjustment of Status Applicant The USCIS extends it policy that the certificate of medical examination remains valid until an adjustment application is adjudicated.  (posted 3/26/09)  read more

President extends Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) President Obama orders extension of Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberian nationals  earlier granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who were fleeing their country as a result of armed conflict and civil strife.  The TPS earlier ended in October 2007 but a previous Presidential oreder allowed the TPS holders to remain in U.S. under the DED upto March 31, 2009.  The new Presidential order extends the DED period by another 12 months.  (posted 3/24/09)

Non-minister religious worker The special immigrant program for the nonminister religious worker expired on March 6, 2009. 

Congress passes Children's Health Insurance Bill The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Bill now goes to to the President for his signature.  The Bill reauthorizes the CHIP program and offers extra funds to the states to promote children's health.  The Bill was earlier vetoed by the former President George Bush. (Posted 2/5/09). 

The reauthorization Bill also includes Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) which allows States to waive the existing 5 yr. waiting requirement and would help immigrant children and pregnant women access the health insurance benefits.

Presidetial memo on FOIA and Open Government  President Obama issued a memo that requires the U.S. Attorney General to issue new Freedom Of Information guidelines to the government departments and agecies and another encouraging transparecy in the U.S. government.  The President directs that disclosure of information must be timely and should not be curtailed to protect personal interests of the government officials even if it causes them embarrassment.  A welcome sign!  Read the full text of FOIA memo here and on the Open Government here.  (posted 1/23/09)

Visa renewal at Mexico Third country nationals residing in the United States could now visit Mexico for Visa renewals for categories other than B1 or B2 tourist (business or pleasure) visa if  the initial visa was issued in the country of former residence or if a subsequent visa was issued in Mexico.  Those seeking change of status or are already out of status are excluded from the category.  (posted 11/5/08)

The visa application requirements for those residing outside Mexico are recently changed by the U.S. Consular Mission in Mexico.  The third country nationals who wish to travel to Mexico for their visa processing may require a mexican visa to do so.

Two year Employment Authorization Document for Adjstment of Status applicants  USCIS would be issuing extended work authorization documents to certain Adjusment of Status applicants.  Read more at my blog . . .

Child Status Protection Act USCIS revises its 2002 guidelines on CSPA and is allowing reopening of old petitions. 

All travellers entering U.S. to present Identification documents at POE 

Articles

E-Verify and the Immigration Conundrum

K-Visas

Travel with pending change of status application - when not problematic. 

Visitor's Intent - Is it a Problem? Read here about the problems facing a visitor's (B) visa applicant.

Talk about U.S. Immigration . . . my blog           

What's New: H-1b and Benching, I-94 error, and more.        

Check out the Landmark Decisions here.

November Visa Bulletin

Archived news.