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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]

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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.

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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..

Release Date: June 28, 2012

For Immediate Release
DHS Office of Public Affairs; Contact: 202-282-8010
DOJ Office of Public Affairs; Contact: 202-514-2007

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is moving from a paper-based model to a secure, online environment. On May 22, we launched the foundational release of our new system, named the USCIS Electronic Immigration System (USCIS ELIS).

The Benefits

USCIS ELIS is a streamlined online account-based system that enhances customer service and the quality of our processes by enabling USCIS to access all relevant information about a customer. These improvements result in more complete, accurate and timely responses to customer requests.

Media Note

 Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

July 2, 2012

Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs is visiting Guatemala from July 1-3 as part of a Congressional Delegation led by Senator Mary Landrieu. The delegation, which includes officials from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is meeting with Guatemalan officials to discuss progress in resolving the remaining intercountry adoption transition cases.

On June 25, 2012, Acting Ombudsman Debra Rogers submitted the 2012 Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman's Annual Report to Congress.

In her opening message, Acting Ombudsman Rogers writes:

Posted by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Every day, USCIS receives thousands of paper applications for immigration benefits - more than 6 million each year. For generations, we have received, reviewed, shipped, and stored paper applications and files throughout our agency. This paper-based process consumes a great deal of resources and employee time.

On July 1, 2012, Montenegro became a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). However, the Department of State (DOS) has determined that Montenegro does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place. DOS consular officers are unable to certify that adoption decrees or custody orders obtained in Montenegro for a child habitually resident in Montenegro have been issued in compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention. Without this certification, U.S.

On June 22, 2012, USCIS hosted a public engagement featuring two economists who work on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. Following that engagement, some stakeholders sought clarification as to certain points raised by the economists. USCIS is now pleased to provide clarification as to two of the primary questions raised.

EB-5 Projects Involving Hotel or Resort Development

Media Note

 Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

July 3, 2012