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USCIS Updates Process for Accepting Petitions for Relatives Abroad
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that, as part of the adjustment of its international footprint to increase efficiencies, Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, will only be processed domestically by USCIS or internationally by the Department of State in certain circumstances beginning Feb 1, 2020.
Public Charge Inadmissibility Final Rule: Revised Forms and Updated Policy Manual Guidance
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published revised forms consistent with the final rule on the public charge ground of inadmissibility, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including USCIS, will implement on Feb. 24, 2020. Beginning Feb. 24, 2020, applicants and petitioners must use new editions of the following forms below (except in Illinois, where the rule remains enjoined by a federal court):
USCIS Response to the 2019 Coronavirus
USCIS is actively monitoring the effects of the public health emergency related to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak on agency operations.
Office Closures in China
According to U.S. Department of State guidance, USCIS is temporarily closing its field offices in Beijing and Guangzhou. USCIS will reschedule all affected appointments and will send new appointment notices to applicants.
Rajiv's News Clips - US policy that restricted international students’ re-entry blocked - Times of India
Published by : The Times Of India - Date: February 08, 2020
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:
Students cannot be in unlawful presence, says the court
International students can breathe a sigh of relief. The USCIS has lost another case against its attempts to assault legal immigration. A federal court has held that its attempts to create artificial, three year or ten bars from reentry by students into the USA are illegal.
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for Certain Petitions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in phases over the next month.
Effective June 1, 2020, USCIS will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all eligible Form I-140 petitions.
USCIS Begins Implementing New Interactive Voice Response Telephone System
USCIS is introducing a new interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system today for English and Spanish calls to the USCIS Contact Center. The new IVR system personalizes the caller’s experience by giving the caller the ability to:
USCIS Publishes Interim Final Rule Implementing the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018
Rule creates new requirements for CNMI employers to protect U.S. workers
DHS Offers Flexibilities to Increase Food Security, Stabilize U.S. Supply Chain During COVID-19
WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2B requirements to help support the U.S. food supply chain, maintain essential infrastructure operations and reduce the impact from the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.
Military Personnel and Veterans Can Now File Their Form N-400, Naturalization Application, Online
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that U.S. service members and veterans can now file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, online.
USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30 to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to certain:
Feb 6, 2020, Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday)
Green Card
FAQs:
- H-4 visa stamping - problems with H-1B
- Sponsoring family based green card while living outside the US
- When is H-1B amendment required?
- Getting EB-1C based green card by moving out for one year
- Obtaining birth certificates
Feb 20, 2020 Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday)
Nonimmigrant Visas
Green Card
FAQs: Feb 20, 2020 Community Call
- I-140 issues - getting a copy of approval notice, leaving employer when I-140 approved less than 180 days
- Impact on H-4 - H-4 EAD if the H-1B holder changes jobs
- Promotion while PERM is pending or approved
- Birth Certificates
May 14, 2020 Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday)
Nonimmigrant Visas
Immigration Law
FAQs:
- Covid Coronavirus: H-B during Covid, H-1B not sure if I am laid off, LCA/H-1B amendments, and travel during H-1B
- H-1B start own business or invest
- Promotion after getting the green card
- Extraordinary circumstance EAD
- Extension of tourist stay during Covid
- H-1B delayed entry
May 28, 2020 Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday)
Green Card
Discussion Topics, Thursday, 28 May 2020:
FAQ: Applying for I-485 through a past employer or through a new employer || L-1A moving back to home country with green card pending || Can green card be applied for an old job under the international manager EB1C category? || Applying for naturalization/citizenship under Trump administration || Effect on H-1B of working from outside the USA || Laid off while green card is pending
Other: Porting priority date from EB-2 two EB-1C as international manager || J-1 gap in status/O-1 visa || H-1 RFE converting to H-4 || Amendment or extension timing || Nunc pro tunc or consular processing of H-1B || H-4 extensions || OPT and CPT times || International adoption procedures || F-1 student working in the USA for a foreign company, etc.
DHS Rules and Regulations on Designation of Greece for the Visa Waiver Program
[Federal Register: March 31, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 61)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 15991-15992]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31mr10-1]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Guestbook Entry for Aruna Kumar, United States
Guestbook Entry for Francis, United States
ICE Issues Memo On Clarification Of Memo On Removal Goals
ICE Detention and Removal Operations Director issued a memo to field office directors clarifying the February 22, 2010 memo on removal goals.
NBC Updates – 04/02/10
Work permits and c9 I-765 application - The center recommends applicants and attorneys to follow the current Pre-Order Instructions which points out that applicants should file the renewed I-485 application with the TSC (Texas Service Center) when the form has been denied and renewed by the IJ. This also holds well when the applicant or attorney submits a new Form I-485 application to the IJ.
USCIS Announces New Versions of Forms I-600 and I-600A
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it has published new versions of the Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, Form I-600 and the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, Form I-600A . The new date on the bottom of both forms is “12/30/09 N.” Due to the changes on the forms, previous versions will no longer be accepted after a 60 day transition period.
DHS Announces New Measures to Strengthen Aviation Security
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will begin implementing new enhanced security measures for all air carriers with international flights to the United States to strengthen the safety and security of all passengers—superseding the emergency measures put in place immediately following the attempted terrorist attack on Dec. 25, 2009.
Visa Numbers
This explains visa number usage, spillover of visa numbers into other preference categories, and the visa number backlog.
Preference Categories
The primary reasons for entering the immigration process in the U.S. are family and employment-based. To manage this process, family and employment-based immigration is broken into preference categories. Congress sets limits on how many individuals may immigrate to the U.S. each year (i.e. visa numbers) and also sets limits on how many individuals may immigrate within each preference category.