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USCIS Processing Times information for all service centers updated on May 14, 2010.

USCIS seeks your input on the draft memoranda listed below.  These memoranda are drafts of proposed or revised guidance to USCIS Field Offices and Service Centers.  They are not intended as guidance for the general public, nor are they intended to create binding legal requirements on the public.  Until issued in final form, the draft memoranda do not constitute agency policy in any way or for any purpose.

The Department's Office of Foreign Labor Certification has established a mailbox for questions regarding LCA policies.  Those seeking policy guidance should submit a question to LCA.Regulation@dol.gov. Questions will be answered in the form of FAQs. The interested public should continue to direct all general inquiries regarding the H-1B program to the Chicago National Processing Center at LCA.Chicago@dol.gov.

The elaws Advisors are interactive e-tools that provide easy-to-understand information about a number of federal employment laws. Each Advisor simulates the interaction you might have with an employment law expert. It asks questions and provides answers based on responses given.

Both employees and employers can benefit from elaws.

[Federal Register: May 20, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 97)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 28188-28194]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20my10-3]

-----------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

22 CFR Part 22

[Public Notice: 7018]

RIN 1400-AC57

Schedule of Fees for Consular Services, Department of State and Overseas Embassies and Consulates

AGENCY: Bureau of Consular Affairs, State.

ACTION: Interim final rule.

-----------------------------------------

Release Date: May 20, 2010

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

Contact: 202-282-8010

See the attached CRS report on "Immigration Visa Issuances And Grounds for Exclusion".

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be transitioning the intake function of several more forms from the Service Centers to its Lockbox network. By centralizing form and fee intake to a Lockbox environment, USCIS will improve consistency and integrity in the intake process.

The forms scheduled for the transition:

 Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC
May 24, 2010

On May 20, 2010, the Department of State published an interim final rule in the Federal Register to increase nonimmigrant visa application processing fees, also called the Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee, and Border Crossing Card (BCC) fees. The interim final rule also establishes a tiered structure with separate fees for different nonimmigrant visa categories. The new fees are scheduled to go into effect on June 4, 2010.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  announced that it has revised the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or Form I-766, to incorporate the addition of a machine-readable zone on the back of the card..

DOJ flyers for employers and employees on Form I-9 document issues for persons covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Fact Sheet: DHS Blue Campaign 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today launched the “Blue Campaign”—a DHS-wide initiative to combat human trafficking through enhanced public awareness, victim assistance programs, and law enforcement training and initiatives.

The Department has posted new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing filing and documentation requirements in response to questions received from the regulated community. To view the PERM Round 11 FAQs, please check attachent. 

This final rule amends the Department of State's regulations related to the application for an immigrant visa and alien registration, to offer a completely electronic application procedure as an alternative to submission of Form DS-230, the Application for
Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration.

This rule is effective August 3, 2010.

At present, the United States has two main programs for temporarily importing low-skilled workers, sometimes referred to as guest workers. Agricultural guest workers enter through the H-2A visa program, and other guest workers enter through the H-2B visa program. Employers interested in importing workers under either program must first apply to the U.S. Department of Labor for a certification that U.S. workers capable of performing the work are not available and that the employment of alien workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State today issued a joint statement on the decision to suspend processing for new adoption cases based on abandonment in Nepal.
 
Joint Statement

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) experienced technical difficulties with the Form I-797C, Notice of Action - Fingerprint Notification.  USCIS did not print and mail this form to asylum applicants living in California and Arizona between July 8, 2010 and August 4, 2010. 

What You Should Do

Go to the nearest USCIS Application Support Center (ASC) for fingerprinting and biometrics collection before your asylum interview if you:

AAO Processing Times as of August 01, 2010.

[Federal Register: August 3, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 148)] [Notices]
[Page 45628-45629]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03au10-71]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

Delayed Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines for the Remainder of 2010

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

To provide a more efficient and effective initial processing of applications and fees, USCIS is transitioning the intake of additional forms from USCIS Service Centers to USCIS Lockbox facilities. Centralizing form and fee intake allows USCIS to utilize the Lockbox facilities technology to put your application into our system.