Press Release / News / Updates

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced changes to simplify and improve how the agency communicates case processing time data to the public. As part of an agency-wide commitment to improve transparency, efficiency, and customer service, the changes also make it easier for individuals to get an immediate answer on when they can make an inquiry into their case.
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U.S. citizens in Ukraine should complete this online form so that the State Department can communicate with you. U.S. citizens seeking to depart Ukraine can also call 1-833-741-2777 (in the United States) or 1-606-260-4379 (from overseas) for immediate assistance.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur M. Jaddou announced the agency’s new mission statement. Last year, USCIS leadership empowered employees to submit words that they felt best illustrated the agency’s work. The new mission statement is a reflection of this feedback from the workforce, the priorities of the Biden Administration, and Director Jaddou’s vision for an inclusive and accessible agency.
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Immigration Attorneys

 

Immigration policy is often the source of new headlines and October was filled with them. The Biden Administration is looking to make some significant departures from Trump Era immigration policy and one major departure was announced on October 12^th. The announcement made clear that U.S. immigration authorities would be stopping mass arrests of unauthorized immigrants at worksites.
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USCIS is releasing preliminary fiscal year (FY) 2021 agency statistics and accomplishments. These preliminary statistics highlight important immigration trends and illustrate the work accomplished by USCIS in FY 2021. The agency will publish final, verified FY 2021 statistics in January 2022.
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Today the President announced that the United States will be putting in place strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from passengers flying internationally into the United States, by requiring that adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States be fully vaccinated. This policy means that we will no longer be implementing the current 212(f) travel policies for individual countries as of early November, and will be moving to a consistent, stringent requirement for all international air travelers coming to the United States.

Specifically:

Starting in early November, foreign nationals traveling to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to show proof of vaccination prior to boarding an airplane;

The current requirement for everyone to show proof of a negative test taken within 3 days of boarding a flight will remain in place for all fully vaccinated travelers.

CDC will continue to strongly recommend against air travel by Americans who are not fully vaccinated; however, all unvaccinated travelers who return to the United States and are not fully vaccinated will be required to, prior to boarding an airplane: Provide proof of a negative test result taken within one day of their departure;

Provide proof that they have purchased a viral test to be taken after arrival.

CDC will also issue a Contact Tracing Order that will require airlines to collect comprehensive contact information for every passenger coming to the United States and to provide that information promptly to CDC upon request, to follow up with travelers who have been exposed to COVID-19 variants or other pathogens.

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As part of our credit card payment pilot program, the Texas Service Center is now accepting credit card payments using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for petitioners filing Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, with Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, or when filing Form I-907 to upgrade a pending Form I-140 to premium processing.
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Ridgewood, New Jersey - The U.S. Senate on Friday voted 47-34 to confirm President Biden’s nomination of Ur Mendoza Jaddou to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), making her the first Senate-confirmed woman and first person of Arab and Mexican descent to lead the immigration agency since it was created, nearly two decades ago.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued three new policy updates in the USCIS Policy Manual. These updates:

• Clarify the criteria and circumstances for expedited processing;
• Address the circumstances in which officers should issue Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs); and
• Extend the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens with pending adjustment of status applications.

These updates support Executive Order (E.O.) 14012, “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans” directing federal agencies to identify strategies that promote inclusion and identify barriers that impede access to immigration benefits, issued by President Biden on Feb. 2, 2021.
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Due to updated guidance from the CDC, USCIS has updated its visitor policy. Fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a face covering. Individuals two years old and older who are not fully vaccinated must still wear a face covering.

To be considered fully vaccinated, it must be at least two weeks after receiving a second dose in a two-dose series or at least two weeks after receiving a dose of a single-dose vaccine.
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Policy Highlights

• Clarifies that USCIS gives deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension
requests involving the same parties and facts unless there was a material error, material change
in circumstances or in eligibility, or new material information that adversely impacts the
petitioner’s, applicant’s, or beneficiary’s eligibility.
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