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Please check the attachment to get detail information for the 2012 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2012), updated on 9/22/10.

September 23, 2010

SAN JUAN-Puerto Rico Governor Luis G. Fortuño extended last night the validity of birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 to American citizens born in Puerto Rico for 30 additional days, until October 30, according to Secretary of State, Kenneth D. McClintock.

This fact sheet provides an agency overview for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice; nor does it constitute any legal opinion by the Department of Justice, or create any rights or benefits.  This fact sheet is not fully inclusive, does not address all applicable laws or case interpretation, and may be subject to change as new laws and regulations are enacted.

Effective from Thursday, September 16, 2010 there will be no further visa authorizations in response to requests for any FAMILY preference category, Employment based cases (EB-2, EB-3, Other workers, EB-4, and Certain Religious Workers). FY2011 numbers will be available on 10/01/10.

For detail please check the attachment.

WASHINGTON—Under an executive order signed by the Governor of Puerto Rico, certified copies of Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010, will now be valid through Oct. 30, 2010.  The validity of those certificates had previously been set to expire on Sept. 30, 2010.

Jan. 27, 2011

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2011.  USCIS is notifying the public that yesterday, Jan. 26, 2011, is the final receipt date for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY2011.

Introduction

The Web-based Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises (VIBE) is a tool designed to enhance USCIS’s adjudications of certain employment-based immigration petitions. VIBE uses commercially available data to validate basic information about companies or organizations petitioning to employ alien workers. USCIS is beta-testing VIBE, and petitioners may begin seeing VIBE-related Requests for Evidence (RFEs).

In November 2010, USCIS published a revised Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, which became effective on Dec. 23, 2010. Due to a number of inquiries regarding Part 6 of the Form I-129, "Certification Regarding the Release of Controlled Technology or Technical Data to Foreign Persons in the United States", USCIS advised  petitioners that they would not be required to complete this section until Feb. 20, 2011. Petitions postmarked on or after Feb. 20, 2011, must complete Part 6 of the Form I-129. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) supports the efforts of immigration practitioners who volunteer to assist aliens at community events.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, until further notice, DHS Disciplinary Counsel does not intend to initiate disciplinary proceedings against practitioners (attorneys and accredited representatives) based solely on the failure to submit a Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (Form G-28) in relation to pro bono services provided at group assistance events. 

Please check the attachment for detail.

Table A provides approval and denial data for petitioners of the I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers - (E-11 Extraordinary Ability, Professors, Researchers, or Executives)

Table A: I-140 E-11 Approval/Denial by Fiscal Year 2005 to 2010 

[Federal Register: February 25, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 38)]
[Rules and Regulations]              
[Page 10498-10500]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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This Policy Memorandum (PM) restates the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) revocation policy.

[Federal Register: February 16, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 32)]
[Notices]              
[Page 9034-9038]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16fe11-78]                        

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Office of the Secretary

In November 2010, USCIS transferred approximately 36,000 Immediate Relative petitions from our California Service Center to our Texas Service Center. We anticipated that this redistribution of work would result in more timely adjudication of these petitions. Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances at our Texas Service Center, many of these cases have not been processed and are beyond our estimated processing times. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused you and we are making every effort to remedy this situation as soon as possible.