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Agency is prioritizing naturalization ceremonies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Release Date: July 1, 2020

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is celebrating the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the great country by hosting naturalization ceremonies across the United States from July 1 through July 7. Despite the pandemic, USCIS continues to welcome new citizens, demonstrating American resiliency and the importance of independence. 

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to certain:

WASHINGTON – The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications Monday to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to publish the procedures and responsibilities in the Federal Register as a Temporary Final Rule.

Temporary exemptions for the fall 2020 semester include:

Published by : Times of India - Date: July 08, 2020  

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today consolidated existing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding officers’ application of discretion in adjudications.

USCIS has updated the USCIS Policy Manual with clarifying guidance on the deployment of investment capital under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. It addresses the deployment of capital by a new commercial enterprise before jobs have been created. It also further explains the deployment of capital after an immigrant investor meets the program’s job creation requirements.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule (PDF) that adjusts fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefit requests to ensure U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recovers its costs of services.

Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fund nearly 97% of USCIS’ budget.

Published by: The Times of India  - Date: January 02, 2021

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:

Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com, said an extension of the travel ban would be challenged in courts and defeated on the same grounds on which the government suffered a preliminary injunction.

For more details please see the attachment below.

Release Date 12/23/2020

Haitian Family Reunification Parole and Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Programs to be Terminated

USCIS announced that it will automatically extend parole, and employment authorization, if applicable, for parolees who timely applied for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term resident status.  

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: January 05, 2021  

Synopsis

The current extension states that “while the November overall unemployment rate in the United States of 6.7 percent reflects a marked decline from its April high, there were still 9,834,000 fewer seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in November than in February of 2020.” This reasoning is factually and logically untenable.

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: January 07, 2021 

Synopsis

For this year (FY 2021-22), the USCIS has attempted to change the lottery selection process to favor the highest paid employees first. That change is embodied in a proposed regulation, which can be published as a final rule any time.

For more on this article please see the attachment below.

Published by: The Times of India  - Date: January 08, 2021

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:

Release Date 01/07/2021

Rule Expected to Protect the Economic Interests of American Workers

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: January 11, 2021

Synopsis

The wage levels are derived from the US Department of Labor data, which qualifies employees based upon a combination of the education and experience required for their job: Level 1 (entry level); Level 2 (qualified); Level 3 (experienced); Level 4 (fully competent). This rule will cause serious impediments for the US businesses if it is allowed to stand.

For more details please see the attachment below.

Release Date 01/08/2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, USCIS is experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for some applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. The information below explains the current state of lockbox operations and the issues affecting receipt notices.

Current Situation

01/12/2021

Starting in January, USCIS will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (PRC or “Green Card”), with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action. LPRs file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, when their Green Cards expire or are about to expire. The revised Form I-797 notice will serve as a receipt notice for the Form I-90.