U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a temporary final rule to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) by using government-contracted telephonic interpreters for affirmative asylum interviews at no cost to the applicant. Keep Reading
It provides guidance on fee exemption and waiver policies, new premium processing time limits, modifications to intercountry adoption processing, and other changes made by the fee rule. Keep Reading
By proposing a standard definition of “biometrics” for DHS components and authorized purposes for collecting biometrics, this proposed rule would create clear rules for using the information collected. Keep Reading
Five days ahead of a planned furlough that would have hit 13,400 employees out of work for 30 to 90 days, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that it should be able to maintain operations for the rest of the fiscal year. Keep Reading
USCIS will continue to accept requests from aliens who had been granted DACA at any time in the past and will also accept requests for advance parole that are properly submitted to the address specified on the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-131 webpage. Keep Reading
USCIS was hoping to get $1.2 billion in a coronavirus aid package, but lawmakers have left for recess without a deal. Keep Reading
These competitive grant opportunities are open to organizations that prepare lawful permanent residents for naturalization and promote civic assimilation through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history, and civics. Keep Reading
As the threat of furloughs looms, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. Keep Reading
"We hope that this delay will allow enough time for Congress to provide the funding that USCIS needs to cancel the administrative furlough altogether," Edlow said, promising further guidance on what to expect in the coming days. Keep Reading
In addition to a new look and feel, USCIS has improved the website to help visitors better navigate our existing online tools and resources, as well as to file and manage applications and petitions online. Keep Reading
USCIS announced that it would run short of funds and will begin furloughing more than 13,400 employees in August should Congress fail to appropriate emergency funding. Keep Reading
Even though DHS and OMB have sent letters supporting congressional appropriation of emergency funds, Congress had still not yet received a formal request for the money from the Trump administration. Keep Reading
USCIS began to conduct limited naturalization ceremonies in May and began to fully resume ceremonies in early June, after temporarily pausing in-person services to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Keep Reading
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is now eyeing August as a possible furlough date for several thousand of its employees — unless Congress steps in with emergency supplemental funding before then. Keep Reading
USCIS began reopening some domestic offices and resuming non-emergency services on June 4, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines to protect our workforce and the public. Keep Reading
Certain USCIS field offices and asylum offices were reopening today for non-emergency face-to-face services, and revenue has taken a deep hit from coronavirus closures. Keep Reading
The looming crisis comes as USCIS is preparing to reopen offices next week. The agency suspended in-person services on March 18 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep Reading
On March 18, USCIS temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Keep Reading
Decided in June 2019, the BIA held in this decision that false claims of U.S. citizenship do not need to be knowingly made to make an alien deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Keep Reading
USCIS is readying offices to reopen on or after June 4. Employees in these offices are continuing to perform mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public while the offices are closed. Keep Reading