Legal News

Border Wait Times
A CBP webpage that shows the estimated wait times for reaching the primary inspection booth, the first point of contact with CBP when crossing the Canada/U.S. and Mexico/U.S. land borders. Each border location updates its estimated wait times hourly. More...

State Dept. Releases Final Rule on Sanctions for J Visa Program Sponsors
State Dept. released a final rule on sanctions and terminations for Exchange Visitor Program sponsors. A previously issued final rule was withdrawn in late November. More...

State Dept. Interim Final Rule on Visa Fee Increase
This rule amends the schedule of fees for consular services. It raises fee charged for the processing of an application for a nonimmigrant visa (MRV) and Border Crossing Card (BCC) and increase the immigrant visa fee. More...

State Dept. Telephone List of Key Officers
This is an unclassified list of key Department of State officers current as of Dec 18th, 2007 . More...

U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juarez Waiver Pilot Program
The USCIS Field Office along with the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez announced a new waiver pilot program for immigrant visa applicants seeking a waiver of inadmissibility. More...

USCIS Issues Latest Application And Receipting Update
USCIS issues latest application and receipting update, effective December 14, 2007. More...

DOL Issues FAQs Round 8
The Employment and Training Administration of the DOL issued Frequently Asked Questions Round #8. More...

USCIS E-Verify Presentation
Text of the PowerPoint presentation given December 17, 2007 at USCIS, on "E-Verify: Employment Eligibility Verification." More...

Application Fees for Non-Immigrant Visas to Increase On January 1, 2008
Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. non-immigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. This increase allows the Department to recover the costs of security and other enhancements to the non-immigrant visa application process. More...

United States Ratifies the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
On December 12, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty formalized the United States' ratification of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption at a ceremony at The Hague. The United States is now a full member of the Hague Convention. More...

ICE Legal Advisor Chief Counsel Contact List
This lists the contact information for ICE local chief counsel offices. More...

Calexico Port of Entry to Process I-94 Permits for Mexican Holiday Travelers Immediately
CBP announced that Mexican border crossing cardholders can apply early for an I-94 card at the Calexico port of entry during the holiday season. More...

USCIS Issues Update on Permanent Resident Card Replacement Proposal
USCIS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that, when implemented, would require lawful permanent residents to replace permanent resident cards (Form I-551) with no expiration date. The comment period closed on September 21, 2007. USCIS is currently reviewing the 298 comments received. More...

DHS Releases REAL ID Grant Guidance
DHS released grant guidance and application kits for two grant programs to assist states in preparing for REAL ID implementation. More...

USCIS Statement on Validity of I-551 Cards without Expiration Dates
USCIS released a statement confirming the continuing validity of I-551 cards without an expiration date. More...

USCIS Updates Guide for New Immigrants
USCIS released an updated Guide for New Immigrants. The Guide provides a summary of essential information for new immigrants. The goal is to reach as many immigrants as possible. More...

CIS Ombudsman Announces Upcoming Teleconference
The CIS Ombudsman’s office announced a call scheduled for 12/14/07. More...

DHS Begins Collecting 10 Fingerprints from International Visitors at Washington Dulles Airport
DHS is now collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport (Dulles). The change is part of the department's upgrade from two-to 10 fingerprint collection in order to enhance security and fingerprint matching accuracy. More...

USCIS Application and Receipting Update
USCIS provides a weekly update to give updates customers with accurate information about current receipt times. This update reflects processing through December 7, 2007. More...

USCIS Announces Fee Waiver for California Fire Victims
USCIS announced that it would give special consideration to fee waiver requests from applicants who lost their residence or employment as a result of the wildfires in Southern California and are seeking to replace certain documents. More...

USCIS Announces Fee Waiver for California Fire Victims
USCIS announced that it would give special consideration to fee waiver requests from applicants who lost their residence or employment as a result of the wildfires in Southern California and are seeking to replace certain documents. More...

DHS and State of Arizona Partner to Further Advance secure Identification Initiatives
DHS and the State of Arizona signed a Memorandum of Agreement to enhance the security of State driver's licenses to offer WHTI compliant document to U.S. citizen residents and to pledge future compliance with the requirements of REAL ID. More...

State Dept. to Open Second Passport Mega-Center in Tucson in Spring 2008
DOS announced their intention to open a new passport center in Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Passport Center is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008. It will be a dedicated passport production facility which, at full capacity, will be able to print up to 10 million travel documents annually for Americans traveling abroad. More...

USCIS Updates Task Force on New Americans Fact Sheet
USCIS released an Fact Sheet on the Task Force on New Americans. Minor additions have been made to sections discussing civics education training conferences and a USCIS publication for immigrant visa recipients. More...

Stakeholder/USCIS Question & Answers
The USCIS releases Q & As from Stakeholder meeting held on December 4th, 2007. More...

US-Visit Brochure
US-VISIT program provides U.S. visa issuing posts and ports of entry with the biometric technology that enables the U.S. government to esatblish and verify foreign travelers identity when they visit the United States. More...

US-Visit Fact Sheet
The US-VISIT program was established in March 2003 as one of the initial programs within the DHS. This fact sheet describes the purpose behind US-Visit: Benefits for International travelers, Benefits for Immigration, Benefits for terrorism detection and prevention, and Safeguarding privacy and the environment. More...

USCIS Issues Reminder to Nationals of Burundi to Re-register for TPS
USCIS reminded nationals of Burundi eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to file a re-registration application for TPS by the closing date of December 28, 2007. More...

Statement by Homeland Security Secretary on the No-Match Appeal
DHS Secretary Chertoff issued a statement following an appeal filed by the agency on the injunction against the No-Match Rule in the Northern District of California. More...

Atlanta Immigration Court to Relocate
EOIR announced that the Atlanta Immigration Court is moving to a new location. The court will reopen on December 18, 2007. More...

State Dept. Releases DV Lottery Results
The Department of State announced the results of the DV-2008 lottery. The announcement provides a statistical breakdown of the lottery winners by foreign state chargeability. More...

DHS Releases Reminder of New WHTI Requirements in 2008
DHS reminded that all adult travelers will be required to present proof of citizenship and proof of identity when entering the U.S. at land and sea ports-of-entry. More...

USCIS Update on Service Center and Lockbox Receipting
A USCIS Update on current receipting times. This update reflects processing through November 30, 2007. More...

USCIS Revises Filing Instructions For I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative)
USCIS announced that effective Dec. 3, 2007, all applicants filing stand-alone Form I-130s are encouraged to file their petitions with the Chicago Lockbox instead of a USCIS Service Center. More...

State Dept. Withdraws Exchange Visitor Final Rule
State Dept. withdrew a final rule regarding sanctions for Exchange Visitor Program sponsors. More...

USCIS Application And Receipting Update
USCIS issued a "Application and Receipting Update" reflecting data as of November 23, 2007. More...

Article on Record Number of Student Visas Issued in FY 07
State dept. posted an article by a USINFO staff writer to its website on the record number of student and exchange visitor program visas issued in 2007. More...

CSC Updates - 11/27/07

NBC Updates on Request to Reopen or Reconsider Procedures - 11/26/07

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