USCIS

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Earlier known as INS. USCIS is responsible for providing immigration benefits to applicants. Homepage http://wwww.uscis.gov

USCIS to Expedite Review for Certain Cases Affected by Specific Administrative Inaccuracies

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has established an expedited process for reviewing and correcting decisions resulting from certain administrative errors. This process enables customers to request an expedited review of their case and correction of the decision where data entry and/or an administrative error resulted in a denial or rejection of their petition or application.

USCIS Publishes FAQ on F-1 OPT And H-1B Cap-Gap Regulations

Introduction

These Questions & Answers address the automatic extension of F-1 student status in the United States for certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions (indicating a request for change of status from F-1 to H-1B) for an employment start date of October 1, 2012 under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 H-1B cap.

Questions & Answers

Q1. What is “Cap-Gap”?

USCIS Seeks Public Comment on Revisions to Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Register inviting public comment on a revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers must complete Form I-9 for all newly-hired employees to verify their identity and authorization to work in the United States. The public is invited to comment on the revisions until May 29, 2012.

USCIS to Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2013 Beginning April 2, 2012

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 cap on Monday April 2, 2012. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. USCIS will not rely upon the date that the petition is postmarked.

USCIS International Operations I-601 Processing Time Report

Processing time encompasses the period starting the date U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received the application and ending the date USCIS notified the applicant of the decision. For applications filed overseas with the Department of State where USCIS does not have a presence, reported processing time does not include time taken to transfer the application from the Department of State to USCIS.

The attachment below shows overseas completion data for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, for February 2012