Health News
Cara Club
We hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather over the past week and got out to stretch those legs – in a few months we won’t be blessed with this weather. Gentle reminder that the Cara Club at the Veronica Smith Senior Center in Brighton will host flu shots. Everyone is welcome.
Immigration News
by Kieran C. O’ Sullivan; Immigration Counselor
Call: 617-265-5300 Ext. 16
This week I had a call from a lady in Ireland. Her U.S. citizen fiancé had filed for a K-1 fiancé visa. Upon review of her case, we saw some serious issues facing them. She had unlawfully resided in the U.S. prior to the K-1 application for years and so is subject to a ten year bar from residing in the U.S. This bar would mean that based upon her time of unlawful presence and departure from the U.S., she would not be eligible to move here until after 2022. This is a case where the applicants should have sought legal advice prior to submitting the fiancé visa petition. There is a difficult waiver process they will have to go through using an experienced attorney.
Fiancé visas (K-1) in general
Usually, if you are a U.S. citizen and your fiancé is residing overseas, and you intend marrying in the U.S., you need to submit a petition for a K visa or “fiancé visa” to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You will need to obtain a Form I-129F from USCIS. Form I-129F should come with two G-325 forms attached to it. The U.S. citizen and fiancé will need to complete a G-325 each. You will also need to submit an I-134 with the fiancé visa petition. This is an affidavit to state that you will be able to support your fiancé following the entry to the U.S.
The fiancé visa is applied for at the CIS Regional Service Center (in the Northeast, at the Vermont Service Center). It takes one to two months to process. After approval, it can take roughly six months to obtain a fiancé visa, which is issued at the U.S. Embassy in your fiancé’s home country. The U.S. citizen will receive a copy of the approval of the fiancé visa, and the U.S. Embassy overseas will subsequently receive a copy of the approval notice. It can sometimes take a few weeks for the approval notice to get to the U.S. Embassy overseas. Because U.S. CIS timeframes vary, there is no way to confirm how long this process can take. Problems with fingerprints, background security checks, and medical examination scheduling problems may delay the K petition for several months.
The consular officer will notify the beneficiary when the approved petition is received and provide to the beneficiary the necessary forms and instructions to apply for a "K" visa. A fiancé visa applicant is an intending immigrant and, therefore, must meet documentary requirements similar to the requirements of an immigrant visa applicant. The following documents are normally required:
- Valid passport
- Birth certificate
- Divorce or death certificate of any previous spouse
- Police certificate from all places lived since age 16
- Medical examination
- Evidence of support
- Evidence of valid relationship with the petitioner
- Photographs
The fiancé visa is a 90-day visa within which you have to marry. On this matter Chris Lavery - an immigration attorney who I consulted on the case above said, “A common thing people leave out of the application package is a statement from each party describing their relationship and saying they intend to marry immediately.” Failure to do this could result in a case delay.
Whether you decide to do a civil ceremony or church ceremony has no impact on your immigration petition. Once married in the U.S., you may file an adjustment of status package to apply for legal permanent residency here. It is a document intensive process and should not be filed without attorney review.
November Free Legal Clinic
On the first Tuesday of every month, we hold a free legal clinic at The Banshee in Dorchester beginning at 6:30PM. Our next clinic will be on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.
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.
Cara Club
We hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather over the past week and got out to stretch those legs – in a few months we won’t be blessed with this weather. Gentle reminder that the Cara Club at the Veronica Smith Senior Center in Brighton will host flu shots. Everyone is welcome.
Senior Moments
By Audrey Larkin, Interim Senior Program Coordinator.
Email: audrey@ipcboston.org Call: 617-265-5300 ext. 13
Health & Wellness at Café Eireann:
We would like to thank Dr. Michael Richardson and Barbara Couzens of Carney Hospital who came to Café Eireann on Wednesday and gave the flu shot to several members of the group. Many thanks also to Norah Lavelle of ‘By Your Side Nursing’ who once again carried out some health and wellness check for seniors. Now we are all a very healthy bunch ready for winter!
This is a good time to remind everyone about getting the flu vaccine. Flu is a highly infectious illness that spreads rapidly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are carrying the virus. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Please talk to your health care provider about getting the shot.
Monthly Mass and Luncheon:Once again we had a full house at the monthly Mass & luncheon hosted at ICCNE, to whom we are sincerely grateful for the use of their facility. Entertainment by Mossie Coughlan was thoroughly enjoyed allowing some the chance to show off their dancing skills. Huge thanks goes out to all the volunteers who ensure everything runs smoothly.
Note the change of date for the next Monthly Mass to take place on Thursday November 13th in memory of the deceased. We will have a special guest Celebrant, Fr. Dominic Meehan, former seminarian at the IPC a number of years back.
To ensure there is adequate seating and food, we ask that you call ahead to reserve your spot and be mindful if you cannot attend to cancel to allow someone else an opportunity to attend. Suggested donation is $12 which covers, catering and other related costs. RSVP line with you reservation 855-479-2472 – call by Friday November 7th
What belongs to God?
By: Sr. Marguerite Kelly; Pastoral Associate
617-265-5300 Ext. 10
The answer given by Jesus to those who questioned him in an attempt to entrap him sounds like a clever way out of a no-win situation. If Jesus says that taxes should be paid, he is a friend of the Romans. If he says that taxes should not be paid, he is a trouble maker. The famous “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” then appears as a convenient dodging of the question.
When we apply the phrase to our current world, we see the Caesar part rather clearly: obviously, the coin has Caesar’s image and inscription on it – so it is his! Therefore: taxes should be paid, governments have a legitimate role in Christian life, etc. But resting in the first part of the phrase may blind us to the question that lies hidden in the second part: What exactly “belongs to God?” What does it mean to “repay to God what belongs to God?”
It means to give God glory and honor: to acknowledge our poverty, our frailty our “nothingness” before him to acknowledge that ALL is gift!
Rev. Richard Gabuzda Creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry
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