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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.

Release Date 09/30/2020

WASHINGTON-U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Deputy Director of Policy Joseph Edlow issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining fee increases for citizenship and other immigration benefits.

Published by : The Economic Times - Date: October 01, 2020  

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:

“While the inclusions are welcome, the guarantee is not for a final approval or denial but their decision making the first time around,” said Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at immigration.com. “They often send back a request for evidence and after we respond, they have another 30 days to respond,” he said.

Release Date 10/01/2020

Proposal enforces long-standing law and protects American taxpayers

On Sept. 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in Immigration Legal Resource Center et al., v. Wolf, et al., 20-cv-05883-JWS, preliminarily enjoined DHS from implementing or enforcing any part of the USCIS Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements rule.

While the rule is preliminarily enjoined, USCIS will continue to: 

Published by : The Economic Times - Date: October 02, 2020  

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:

“The reasoning behind the preliminary injunction is sound. The court found that the President was trying to change immigration law from the White House, over obeying the law as it is written by the legislature,” said Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at immigration.com.