Update to Form I-864P, Poverty Guidelines
USCIS posted an updated edition of Form I-864P, Poverty Guidelines, to their website. The new edition is dated 03/01/16, and previous editions should not be used.
USCIS posted an updated edition of Form I-864P, Poverty Guidelines, to their website. The new edition is dated 03/01/16, and previous editions should not be used.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities under the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. These are competitive grant opportunities for organizations that prepare permanent residents for naturalization and promote civic integration through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history and civics. The two programs will provide up to $10 million in grants for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country. Applications are due by April 22.
USCIS recently began transferring certain cases from the Vermont Service Center to the Texas Service Center to balance workloads. The affected casework includes Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, filed by an asylum applicant with a pending asylum application filed on or after January 4, 1995. The eligibility category for the application is (c)(8).
How You Will Be Affected If USCIS Transfers Your Case
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish a final rule Friday, March 11, 2016, to strengthen and enhance the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for international students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
On February 26, 2015, USCIS hosted a teleconference about new regulatory changes, effective May 26, 2015, that extended eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of certain H-1B nonimmigrants wh
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend F-1 nonimmigrant student visa regulations on optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from U.S. institutions of higher education. Specifically, the proposal would allow such F-1 STEM students who have elected to pursue 12 months of OPT in the United States to extend the OPT period by 24 months (STEM OPT extension). This 24-month extension would effectively replace the 17-month STEM OPT extension currently available to certain STEM students.
Are you seeking to adjust your status and become a U.S. permanent resident under a family-sponsored or employment-based preference immigrant visa?
On April 1, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2017 cap. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering and computer programming.
The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2017 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap.
On March 1, USCIS began transferring certain cases to the Potomac Service Center (PSC) from other service centers to balance workloads. The affected casework includes Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, filed by F-1 and M-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and J-1 dependents.
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the
DHS extended the designations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an additional six months. Although there have been significant improvements in the conditions in all three countries since their designations for TPS in November 2014, the lingering effects of the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak and continued recovery challenges support this six-month extension. The extended designation is effective May 22, 2016, through Nov. 21, 2016.
The STEM Designated Degree Program list is a complete list of fields of study DHS considers to be science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields of study for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension described at 8 CFR 214.2(f). Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(2), a STEM field of study is a field of study “included in the Department of Education’s Classification of Instructional Programs taxonomy within the two-digit series containing engineering, biological sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences, or a related field.
Workload Transfer from the Vermont Service Center to the Nebraska Service Center
USCIS recently began transferring certain casework from the Vermont Service Center (VSC) to the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) to balance workloads and decrease processing times.
The NSC will now process some:
Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for petitioners requesting H-1B nonimmigrant classification;
As you study for the U.S. history and government (civics) test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions. Periodically, answers change to reflect the results of federal and state elections and appointments or to clarify content and ensure consistency in terminology. The revised answers to the questions below are effective immediately.
Question |
Update |
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On August 30, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Comitè de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA) v. Solis, et al., Civil No. 2:09-cv-240-LP, 2010 WL 3431761 (E.D. Pa.) invalidated the Department's use of skill levels in establishing prevailing wages and the Department's reliance upon Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) data in lieu of Davis Bacon Act and Service Contract Act rates.
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics provides updated information on the cumulative naturalization rates and the timing of naturalization through 2008 of immigrants who obtained legal permanent resident status from 1973 through 1999.
Please check the attached document for detail information.
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER BRIEFING WITH JOHN WILCOCK,
DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM OFFICER, BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS
TOPIC: 2012 DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY PROGRAM & REGISTRATION
THE WASHINGTON FOREIGN PRESS CENTER, WASHINGTON, D.C.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010, 1:00 P.M. EDT
[Federal Register: October 1, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 60846-60854]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01oc10-116]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 7184]
Bureau of Consular Affairs; Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2012) Visa Program
AGENCY: Department of State.
ACTION: Notice.
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USCIS released a user manual that provides guidance on E-Verify processes and outlines the rules and responsibilities for federal contractors.
If you are from El Salvador, Honduras or Nicaragua and have successfully re-registered for TPS, you should be aware that new Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) may not be issued until early November 2010.
While awaiting your new EAD, you may provide your existing EAD as proof of employment authorization. You may also provide your employer with a copy of your country’s most recent Federal Register notice announcing the TPS 18-month extension and the 6-month auto-extension of EADs.
On August 13, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-230, which contains provisions to increase certain H-1B and L-1 petition fees. The following Questions and Answers provide public guidance concerning the additional fees.
Q1. What is Public Law 111-230?
A1. Signed by President Obama on August 13, 2010, Public Law 111-230 requires the submission of an additional fee of $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $2,250 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions.
The Department has posted new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing employer point of contact requirements. To view PERM Round 12 FAQs, please check attachment.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release October 08, 2010
Presidential Determination
No. 2011-2
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
SUBJECT: Fiscal Year 2011 Refugee Admissions Numbers and Authorizations of In-Country Refugee Status Pursuant to Sections 207 and 101(a)(42), Respectively, of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and Determination Pursuant to Section 2(b)(2) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, as Amended