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Immigration for Abused Spouse
U.S. citizens (USC) and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) may file immigrant visa petitions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of a spouse or child, so that these family members may immigrate to or remain in the United States. Sadly, certain cases exist where U.S. citizens and LPRs misuse their control of this process to abuse their family members. Consequently, most battered immigrants are fearful to report the abuse to the police or other authorities out of fear of losing their immigration benefits.
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USCIS to Celebrate Independence Day by Hosting Naturalization Ceremonies Across the Country
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.
USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests
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:
SEVP modifies temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online courses during fall 2020 semester
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:
PERM Processing Times (as of 6/30/2020)
| Processing Queue | Priority Date |
|---|---|
| Analyst Review | March 2020 |
| Audit Review | September 2019 |
| Reconsideration Request to the CO | May 2020 |
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Immigration Law
Applying Discretion in USCIS Adjudications
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today consolidated existing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding officers’ application of discretion in adjudications.
Visa Bulletin - August 2020
Number 44
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during August 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.
Agency
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Immigration Law
July 23, Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday)
Nonimmigrant Visas
Immigration Law
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FAQs: Covid-19/Coronavirus applying for B-2 status || Working from Canada on or off H-1b || How can I qualify for EB-1C/International Managers or Executives ||
OTHER: STEM OPT EAD || Travel on I-539 || AC21 portability || Day trading on H1b (I-140 approved) or on H4? || Can I withdraw the COS to H4 once my H1b is approved? || Green Card expiring, filing I-90? || Disorderly conduct arrest record in the I-485 form || Entry restrictions on visitor visa || Reckless ticket and oath ceremony || Immigration processing delays || Pay on H-4 EAD expiry || Travel to India while the i-539 application is pending ||
USCIS Clarifies Guidance on Initial and Further Deployment of Investment Capital
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.
USCIS Adjusts Fees to Help Meet Operational Needs
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.
AAO Processing Times (April - June 2020)
| Form Type | Case Type | Completed 0-180 Days | Quarterly Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative total of all completions | 35.22% | 1431 | |
| I-129CW | CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker | 100% | 3 |
| I-129E2 | CNMI Treaty Investor | 100% | 1 |
| I-129F | Petition for Fiancée | 78.57% | 14 |
| I-129H1B | Nonimmigrant Specialty Occupation Worker |
Agency
Immigration Law
A Visa Overview
Note that the “A” Visa, G Visa, and NATO Visa are similar diplomatic visas. The “A” Visa applies to diplomats and foreign government officials, and their assistants; the G Visa applies to national representatives to international organizations; the NATO Visa applies to NATO representatives, staff, and families. Anyone in the diplomatic field may wish to review the descriptions for all three of these visas.
Nonimmigrant Visas
DHS Rules and Regulations on Designation of Greece for the Visa Waiver Program
[Federal Register: March 31, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 61)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 15991-15992]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31mr10-1]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Guestbook Entry for Aruna Kumar, United States
Guestbook Entry for Francis, United States
ICE Issues Memo On Clarification Of Memo On Removal Goals
ICE Detention and Removal Operations Director issued a memo to field office directors clarifying the February 22, 2010 memo on removal goals.
NBC Updates – 04/02/10
Work permits and c9 I-765 application - The center recommends applicants and attorneys to follow the current Pre-Order Instructions which points out that applicants should file the renewed I-485 application with the TSC (Texas Service Center) when the form has been denied and renewed by the IJ. This also holds well when the applicant or attorney submits a new Form I-485 application to the IJ.
USCIS Announces New Versions of Forms I-600 and I-600A
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it has published new versions of the Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, Form I-600 and the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, Form I-600A . The new date on the bottom of both forms is “12/30/09 N.” Due to the changes on the forms, previous versions will no longer be accepted after a 60 day transition period.
DHS Announces New Measures to Strengthen Aviation Security
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will begin implementing new enhanced security measures for all air carriers with international flights to the United States to strengthen the safety and security of all passengers—superseding the emergency measures put in place immediately following the attempted terrorist attack on Dec. 25, 2009.
Visa Numbers
This explains visa number usage, spillover of visa numbers into other preference categories, and the visa number backlog.
Preference Categories
The primary reasons for entering the immigration process in the U.S. are family and employment-based. To manage this process, family and employment-based immigration is broken into preference categories. Congress sets limits on how many individuals may immigrate to the U.S. each year (i.e. visa numbers) and also sets limits on how many individuals may immigrate within each preference category.
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SEVP Approved Schools Updated
ICE updated its list of Student and Exchange Visitor Program approved schools.
U.S., Netherlands Announce 1-Stop Enrollment Pilot for Expedited Trusted Traveler Program
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that travelers interested in applying to the Global Entry and Privium Trusted Traveler programs may do so at one of five “one-stop-shop” joint enrollment centers established as a pilot initiative in the United States and the Netherlands through the Fast Low-Risk Universal Crossing (FLUX) program.
Extension of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 Status for Eligible Students under the H-1B Cap-Gap Regulations
Introduction
These Questions & Answers address the automatic extension of F-1 student status in the United States for certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions (indicating a request for change of status from F-1 to H-1B) for an employment start date of Oct. 1, 2010 under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 H-1B cap.
Questions & Answers
Q: What is the H-1B cap?
A: The cap is the congressionally-mandated limit on the number of individuals who may be granted initial H-1B status or visas during each fiscal year. For FY 2011, the cap is 65,000.