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Due to updated guidance from the CDC, USCIS has updated its visitor policy. Fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a face covering. Individuals two years old and older who are not fully vaccinated must still wear a face covering.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19.
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USCIS is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to provide clarification regarding certain naturalization applications filed by veterans of the U.S. armed forces under section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Discussion Topics, Thursday, May 27, 2021
FAQ: Not reporting change of address to the USCIS - Naturalization || Chances of getting an F-1 Visa when B-1 Visa was rejected earlier 214(b) denial
Topics:
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WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is accepting applications for two funding opportunities under the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. The grant opportunities will provide up to $10 million in grants for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country.
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The Department of Homeland Security has issued a final rule that removes from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) an interim final rule (IFR) issued in October 2020, which has since been vacated by a federal district court.
Number 54
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during June for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
Published by: The Economic Times - Date: May 20, 2021
Synopsis
You must be able to demonstrate “sustained national or international acclaim” in your field. You do that through one of the two ways. First, either you must have received a one-time national or internationally recognized award. Second, if you do not have such an award, alternatively, you must pass two tests: quantitative and qualitative.
For more on this article please see the attachment below.
1 Green Card through PERM, Step 1 - The PERM process
1.1 Preliminary points
1.1.1 Most commonly used process and is based upon a permanent, full-time job offer
1.1.2 Involves testing the labor market for a defined job
1.1.3 Green card is for a "future job"
1.1.4 Employment-based categories 2 and 3 (EB-2, EB-3)
1.1.5 WE MUST act honestly and in good faith
1.1.6 There are three steps: PERM, I-140, and I-485 OR consular processing
Published by: The Economic Times - Date: May 10, 2021
Synopsis
To protect yourselves, carry evidence that your extension application was timely filed and you left because you had an urgent need to do so. Also, take a screenshot or printout of the FAQ on the CBP website: “How can I extend my stay while in the United States?
For more on this article please see the attachment below.
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Program Will Provide Opportunities for Foreign Entrepreneurs
Are you getting the right immigration help?
Many people offer help with immigration services. Unfortunately, not all are authorized to do so. While many of these unauthorized practitioners mean well, all too many of them are out to rip you off. This is against the law and may be considered an immigration services scam.
1.How can I locate a long-pending I-485 application that has been transferred multiple times and appears to be “lost”?
2.When the priority date is going to become current for an individual with a long-pending I-485 application, is it advisable to send an advance email to USCIS?
1. According to USCIS, if you have an old I-485 that has been transferred multiple time and you do not know where the case is, you should call USCIS. It is advisable to follow up in case no useful answer is forthcoming. USCIS aims to keep close control over its case inventory and tracks cases to make sure all the parts stay together and get adjudicated together.
It is also important for the attorney of record (using Form G-28) and the applicant (using Form AR-11) to keep USCIS apprised of any changes of address.
Effective September 1, 2013, the DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application and the DS-261 (Choice of Address and Agent) will replace the paper based DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration (parts I and II) and the DS-3032 (Choice of Address and Agent). This message describes the timeline for deployment and provides guidance to posts.
For more information please read the telegram attached.
1. Is submitting consolidated returns and audited financial statements for a parent company and its wholly owned subsidiaries sufficient to meet the burden of proof for establishing the company’s ability to pay by a preponderance of the evidence?
2. Where an employee who is the beneficiary of an approved I-140 and is eligible for AC-21 portability ports to a new employer in the same or similar occupation, must the new employer demonstrate the ability to pay the proffered wage from the date of portability?
3. When adjudicating I-485 applications for portability-eligible individuals where the petitioning employer is no longer in business, does USCIS require the subsequent employer to satisfy both the ability-to-pay requirement and the bona fide offer of employment requirement from the date of the employee’s subsequent hire through the approval of adjustment of status?
4. Why are prorated net assets not sufficient evidence to support ability to pay?
5. Why is the Yates Memo not applied if a beneficiary’s W-2 indicates that the actual wage paid to him/her is at least as much as the beneficiary’s proffered wage for the prorated period?
1. USCIS says that it evaluates each consolidated financial statement on a caseby-case basis under the preponderance of evidence standard to determine whether the petitioner has the ability to pay the proffered wage.
2. USCIS says that, in this situation, the new employer is not obligated to demonstrate the ability to pay from the date of portability.
My mother is currently in the US. She entered based on the Immigration Visa on her passport and gave the sealed packet at the port of entry. We went to to the SSN office but were told that we need to wait for the SSN to come (via mail? - they had no clue). She wants to leave in the next few weeks. Questions:
1. Can she reenter without a physical GC in hand? She was told it takes 6-8 months to come at port of entry.
2. How do we get her SSN? Is it mailed automatically?
3. What else should I be aware of before she leaves the US?
Make an infopass appointment and get her passport stamped for temporary proof of green card. She can travel with that. Normally, the physical GC takes just a few weeks. I am not concerned about SSN. That will arrive eventually. But do review my blog videos about I-131 and maintaining green card, etc.
I would highly recommend the services of Rajiv Khanna for any immigration issues. They were successfully able to process my green card even though I had stopped working for the sponsoring company for about a year.