USCIS Updates Rejection Criteria for Form I-129
USCIS will reject petitions lacking petitioner’s or applicant’s primary U.S. office address
USCIS will reject petitions lacking petitioner’s or applicant’s primary U.S. office address
USCIS will implement a national strategy to decrease differences in processing times based on location for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the country by welcoming almost 7,500 new citizens in nearly 110 naturalization ceremonies between July 1 and July 5. The naturalization ceremonies will be held in venues across the country, and include several notable ceremonies.
Are you seeking to adjust your status and become a U.S. permanent resident under a family-sponsored or employment-based preference immigrant visa? If you have not yet had a relative or employer file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf, please learn more about the Adjustment of Status Filing Process.
On July 1, 2019, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) published the latest prevailing wage data from the Occupational Employment Survey as generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for use July 2019-June 2020. Updates include:
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising the current naturalization test with improvements to ensure it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant’s civics knowledge and that it reflects best practices in adult education assessments.
A message sent by the acting director to USCIS asylum officers regarding asylum and internal relocation guidance.
On July 3, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implemented its new Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system for the H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker program. As of July 3, employers who file an H-2B application for temporary labor certification in FLAG will only receive a temporary labor certification electronically.
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
A USCIS memo to CIS Ombudsman responding to his recommendation states that USCIS establish more uniform filing and review procedures for motions to reopen and reconsider among field offices and service centers as well as improve communication of those procedures to customers and stakeholders.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance on requesting deferred action for surviving spouses of U.S. citizens who died before the second anniversary of their marriage. Surviving spouses qualify for this temporary program if they were married to, but not legally separated from, their U.S. citizen spouse at the time of that spouse's death; did not remarry; and are currently residing in the United States.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would like to clarify to associations and their members certain regulatory requirements for filing petitions for H-2B classification on behalf of foreign workers. We are issuing this clarification so that the public can be better informed of filing requirements and avoid unnecessary denials of individual petitions that may be otherwise approvable. We have noticed a particular type of filing error in many H-2B petitions filed by certain associations on behalf of their members.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding federal contractors and subcontractors that effective Sept. 8, 2009, they will be required to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States. In July, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano strengthened employment eligibility verification by announcing the Administration’s support for the regulation that will award federal contracts only to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization.
USCIS will accept the I-693 medical exam form with the 06/05/08 revision date, in spite of the 08/31/09 expiration date. This will continue till OMB approves the revised form.
An advance copy of technical changes contains a correction to the H-2B labor certification process. To be published in the Federal Register September 3, 2009.
The Final Rule re-engineers the application filing and review process by centralizing processing and by enabling employers to conduct pre-filing recruitment of United States (U.S.) workers.
As of August 28, 2009, approximately 45,100 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.
To qualify for one of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler Programs, all applicants must voluntarily undergo a thorough background check against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, agriculture, and terrorist indices to include biometric fingerprint checks, and a personal interview with a CBP Officer.
The Department has published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens in the United States. The Department is accepting comments on the proposed rulemaking until October 5, 2009.
To read the full text of the NPRM and to find out about the submission of comments, please check attachment.
Visa bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during October.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding federal contractors and subcontractors that effective today, they may be required to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States if their contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause.
USCIS published a Supplemental Guide providing guidance for Federal contractors on the E-Verify rule. The E-Verify language in the regulation took effect on September 8, 2009.
USCIS offers a guidance when paying filing, biometrics, or other fees to USCIS.
Bank drafts, cashier's checks, certified checks, personal checks (See Check Instructions below), and money orders must be drawn on U.S. financial institutions and payable in U.S. funds.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will publish a proposed rule in the Sept. 14, 2009 Federal Register that would recognize a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) specific nonimmigrant investor visa classification. This “E-2 CNMI Investor” status is one of several CNMI specific provisions contained in the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (CNRA), which extends most provisions of federal U.S. immigration law to the CNMI.