USCIS warns Haitians applying for temporary protected status to be aware of immigration scams. USCIS has a dedicated website providing guidance on its response to Haiti at www.uscis.gov/haitianearthquake.
All U.S. consulates and embassies will soon require nonimmigrant visa applicants to use Form DS-160, the Department of State’s fully electronic nonimmigrant visa application, instead of Form DS-156, the paper-based application. Form DS-160 has been in use at selected U.S. diplomatic posts for some time, but the State Department announced late last year that all U.S. posts will require the online form by April 30, 2010 at the latest. Many posts have already adopted the form, and more will begin to require it as April 30 approaches.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides a number of humanitarian programs and types of protection for individuals in need of shelter and/or aid from disasters, oppression, emergency medical issues and other urgent conditions. Humanitarian parole is one such program.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) announced that it will reissue Advance Parole documents (Form I-512) in response to documents that were mailed to applicants with an incorrect issue date of January 5, 1990. All affected documents have been identified and USCIS will automatically reissue documents to individuals who have received a document with the incorrect issue date.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced revisions to Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility.
As of January 4, 2010, infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is no longer a ground of inadmissibility. If you have the HIV infection, you are no longer inadmissible to the United States, and are no longer required to file Form I-601 because of your HIV infection. As part of the revisions to Form I-601, any reference to HIV infection in the form and the instructions were removed.
Processing time of I-765 and I-131s - The EAD processing time should be back down to an average of around 45 days. The center aims to adjudicate all I-765s and I-131s within 50 to 55 days.
For more updates click here .
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would allow H-2A workers in the sheepherding industry more time to fully transition to the three-year limitation of stay requirements under the agency’s final rule that became effective on Jan. 17, 2009. USCIS is making the one-time accommodation in deference to the industry’s prior exemption from the 3-year limitation. This exemption does not impact other H-2A categories.
The publication of the H2B regulation in December 2008 and the corresponding changes to PERM, H1B, H1B1, H1C and E3 regulations governing temporary professional, nonagricultural or registered nursing programs changed the roles of the SWAs and NPCs in the prevailing wage determination process and necessitated the issuance of policy and procedural guidance to be used by the National Prevailing Wage and Helpdesk Center (NPWHC).
Release Date: January 15, 2010
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Rule Formalizes Longstanding Policy to Expedite Citizenship for Service Men and Women
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the publication of a rule formalizing DHS' longstanding policy to expedite and streamline the citizenship process for men and women bravely serving in America's armed forces.
Release Date: January 15, 2010
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Tips for filing form I-821, the application for Temporary Protected Status.
[Federal Register: January 19, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 11)]
[Notices]
[Page 2879-2880]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ja10-63]
---------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS-2009-0162]
RIN 1601-ZA08
Identification of Foreign Countries Whose Nationals Are Eligible To Participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
---------------------------------------
On Jan. 18, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), today announced a humanitarian parole policy allowing orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States temporarily on an individual basis to ensure that they receive the care they need—as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing support of international recovery efforts after last week’s earthquake.
On the one-year anniversary of implementing the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection reminds U.S.-bound travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries of the ESTA requirement. Beginning January 20, CBP will initiate a 60-day transition to enforced ESTA compliance for air carriers; VWP travelers without an approved ESTA may not be allowed to board a U.S.-bound plane.
Questions & Answers: Information for U.S. Citizens in the process of adopting a child from Haiti
On Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti experienced an earthquake of devastating proportions. This set of questions and answers provides information for United States citizens in the process of adopting a child from Haiti.
Casa Quivira Cases: DOS issued an alert on December 28, 2009 informing that the Office of the Solicitor General's (PGN's) appeal of the 2009 decision determining the adoptability of the children taken into custody from Casa Quivira was upheld by the appeals court. Note, these children include those who are already residing in the U.S.
These Questions and Answers provide basic information about the general vaccination requirements for immigrants (including individuals seeking adjustment of status), and specifically about the assessment made by the civil surgeon to determine whether an applicant meets the vaccination requirements. These Questions and Answers do not address the vaccination assessments conducted by panel physicians overseas.
For refugees only, health departments may be considered a civil surgeon for purposes of completing the vaccination record.
These questions and answers only provide information about the change in law made by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that removed HIV infection from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance.
The next USCIS National Stakeholder meeting will be held on January 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Tomich Center, 111 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington D.C. 20529. Suggested agenda items for this meeting are due by COB January 6, 2010.
This Visa Bulletin is for February 2010.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated guidance to adjudication officers to clarify what constitutes a valid employer-employee relationship to qualify for the H-1B ‘specialty occupation’ classification. The memorandum clarifies such relationships, particularly as it pertains to independent contractors, self-employed beneficiaries, and beneficiaries placed at third-party worksites.