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The first Thanksgiving is thought to have been celebrated early in the 17th century by America’s first immigrants—the pilgrims. Unaccustomed to this strange, new land, the pilgrims befriended members of a local Indian tribe. Together with their new friends, the pilgrims gradually became acclimated to the new surroundings, learning how to harvest crops and hunt game. Having travelled here from England, the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock hoped that their journey would bring them not only freedom, but a new, bountiful life. For them, Thanksgiving represented a celebration of friends, family, and a more prosperous life.

After the official formation of the United States of America in 1776, the founding fathers made it a point to set one day aside for festivities. Though celebrated unofficially for several centuries, Thanksgiving was not declared a national holiday until 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. Since then, Thanksgiving has been celebrated annually on the 4th Thursday of November.

To this day, the tenets of Thanksgiving remain the same, even though it has evolved to include fare not initially enjoyed by the pilgrims. Signifying the kick-off of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is celebrated by many people differently. Some choose to take advantage of the “Black Friday” sales; others watch the beloved sport of football, and yet others enjoy time-honored traditions like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite the added commercial frills, the main reason for celebrating Thanksgiving is universal—giving thanks to all that we are grateful for.

At Zhang and Associates, P.C., we would like to wish our clients and their families a very happy Thanksgiving. Since 1996, we have helped our clients with their immigration needs, ranging from EB-1 to NIW to PERM and more. The best part of our job is to see our clients meet their immigration goals and attain the “American dream”. For us, nothing else is more rewarding.  

We are particularly grateful for our clients’ support during the 2009 economic downturn. At the beginning of this recession, our firm faced severe hardship. Thanks to you, our wonderful clients, we were able to come out of the recession stronger than ever before. This year alone, we have had 400 NIW, 200 EB-1, and 300 H-1B applications approved.

In addition, our firm would also like to commend the efforts of USCIS officers. This year, on average, an I-140 application now takes less than four months to process, as reported by the most recent service charts posted on the USCIS website. In addition, on June 29, 2009, USCIS reinstated its premium processing service for I-140 petitioners applying under the categories of EB-1(a), EB-1(b), EB-2 (excluding those applying under a National Interest Waiver), and EB-3. Moreover, many officers have greatly improved their communication efficiency via phone and email. Their job is by no means an easy one; and as such, we would like to acknowledge their hard work.

To both clients and USCIS alike, Zhang and Associates, P.C. is indebted to your support.

From the entire staff at Zhang and Associates, P.C., we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you the very best. Have a wonderful holiday!