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On November 19, 2012, USCIS expanded its e-Request system for making status inquiries about individual pending applications or to correct notices. Applicants can submit web-based inquiries on cases pending longer than stated processing times, have notices/approvals corrected, and can inquire about or change biometrics appointments for replacement green cards (I-90s) and naturalization applications (N400s). In order to use the e-Request service, applicants will need their original fee receipt … [Read more...]
Immigration and Firm News
January 10, 2012 by ·
Today, I attended a USCIS Public Engagement Teleconference at which USCIS and State Department officials provided further details about the January 6, 2012 USCIS Notice of Intent to issue regulations, discussed in my earlier blog post, USCIS Proposes Stateside Processing of I-601 Waivers: Know Before You Go?. Recapping briefly the USCIS proposal, regulation will be issued for public comment describing new procedures for how and where immigrant visa applicants will file their waiver applications … [Read more...]
January 6, 2012 by ·
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a "Notice of Intent" that it is considering issuing a rule change to allow a narrow class of specified immigrant visa applicants to process their I-601 waivers of inadmissibility in the U.S. This means that they would have a provisional decision about their waiver eligibility BEFORE they leave the U.S. to complete interviews at U.S. consulates abroad. The rule itself has not been issued. There will most likely be a period for … [Read more...]
February 12, 2011 by ·
USCIS announced on February 11, 2011 that it will begin issuing dual purpose work-travel cards to applicants for adjustment of status (AOS). Currently, applicants for AOS pay one filing fee for adjustment to permanent residence status (green card), a separate work permit and a separate advance parole travel document while the AOS application (Form I485) is pending. A regulation states that anyone seeking to travel while AOS is pending will abandon that application if advance parole is not … [Read more...]
December 7, 2010 by ·
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has launched a new website, www.stopnotariofraud.org, to help consumers of immigration services avoid becoming victims of dishonest behavior by non-lawyers who hold themselves out as providing immigration services. The site also has state-by-state guides on how to verify information about lawyers, what kinds of questions to ask when entering into an agreement, and how to file complaints against notarios and unscrupulous lawyers. The site is in … [Read more...]
November 23, 2010 by ·
On November 23, 2010 US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) not only raised filing fees for some applications, lowered them in others, and instituted some new fees. It also issued several new and revised forms as follows: Revised Form I129 for H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-2C, H-3, E-1/E-2, E-3, L-1, O, P, Q, R and TN nonimmigrant temporary workers: The general form has changed as well as the visa specific supplemental forms. (See an earlier posting, "Revised H-1B Form and Increased Fees … [Read more...]
November 19, 2010 by ·
A new I129 Form will be introduced and published on November 23, 2010, the same date the filing fees increase from $320 to $325.00 for the base fee, and from $1000 to $1225.00 if premium expedited processing is requested. The form is used for several non-immigrant categories including E-1/E2, E-3, H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, the expired H-2C registered nurse, H-3, L-1, O, P, Q, R and TN. On top of the base fee for each of these categories there are fraud and training fees that vary by category, employer … [Read more...]
November 14, 2010 by ·
On November 23, 2010, the filing fees for many U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms go up on average 10%. USCIS published a detailed schedule. Applications filed with the old fees must be RECEIVED by Monday, November 22, 2010, which means they need to be express mailed by Friday, November 19. Some applications did not have a fee increase, such as the N400 for naturalization, but the biometrics fee that is filed with the N400 and with many other forms increased from $80 to … [Read more...]
November 4, 2010 by ·
As part of its efforts to be more transparent and engage the public, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a stakeholders meeting this week about making changes to the Form I-9 or the Employment Eligibility Verification form. Form I-9 is required to be used by all employers to document the work permission status of new hires. This has been the law since 1986. But, what should be a simple to use one-page form, continues to confound employers who are increasingly being warned, … [Read more...]
September 24, 2010 by ·
Today, USCIS announced new final regulations increasing by 10% on average the filing fees for immigration benefit applications. Although it did not raise the fee for citizenship applications, USCIS introduced some new fees such as for the EB5 regional pilot program designation ($6230.00!), fees for immigrant visas where USCIS has a role in the process ($165.00), and civil surgeon registration fees ($615.00). The rationale and fee list is posted here. Besides the fee increases, USCIS made … [Read more...]
