USCIS Forms Update Notice
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
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 Updates Policy Guidance for Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification
Release Date
Effective March 18, USCIS has updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual (PDF, 362.73 KB) regarding the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification based on the settlement agreement resulting from the Saravia v. Barr class action lawsuit.
Registration period opens for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria
Release Date
Re-Designation Allows Additional Eligible Syrians to Apply
USCIS Field Office Closings - Friday, January 3, 2014
USCIS Northeast Region offices: All interviews and appointments at the following offices for Friday, January 3, 2014 are being rescheduled due to inclement weather. USCIS will contact those affected and reschedule appointments for a new date and time.
Workload Transfer from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently began transferring some extension of stay casework from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center to balance workloads. The affected casework includes the following form:
USCIS Approves 10,000 U Visas for 5th Straight Fiscal Year
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved the statutory maximum 10,000 petitions for U-1 nonimmigrant status (U visas) for fiscal year 2014. This marks the fifth straight year that USCIS has reached the statutory maximum since it began issuing U visas in 2008.
Each year, 10,000 U visas are available for victims of certain qualifying crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to help law enforcement authorities investigate or prosecute those crimes. A U visa petition requires certification of assistance from law enforcement.
USCIS Questions & Answers: Victims of Criminal Activity, U Nonimmigrant Status
Questions & Answers: Victims of Criminal Activity, U Nonimmigrant Status
The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) is set aside for victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. Below are Questions and Answers pertaining to U nonimmigrant visas.
ABT Settlement Agreement
On Nov. 4, 2013, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington granted final approval of the revised ABT Settlement Agreement, bringing to a close class action litigation that began in December 2011.
Policy Memo on Handling Certain Family-Based Automatic Conversion and Priority Date Retention Requests Pending a Supreme Court Ruling
This policy memorandum (PM) provides guidance for properly assigning priority dates in those instances where a petitioner requests that the priority date from a separate, previously filed petition, be applied to a later filed family-based second-preference “B” petition (F2B) or seeks adjustment of status in the F2B category, based upon an originally-filed family-based second-preference “A” petition (F2A) pursuant to Public Law 107-208, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).
USCIS Meeting with the American Immigration Lawyers Association
On October 23, 2013, the USCIS Service Center Operations Directorate hosted an engagement with AILA representatives. USCIS addressed questions related to DOMA, provisional waivers and TPS grantee applications among several other topics.
The attached information provides a review of the questions solicited by AILA and the responses provided by USCIS.