USCIS
The March 5 DACA Deadline Is Here—What Does It Mean for Dreamers?
When President Trump terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative last fall, he only allowed those whose DACA was due to expire before March 5 an opportunity to renew. March 5, 2018 then became the de facto deadline that the president and Congress said… Read More
Removal of ‘Nation of Immigrants’ from USCIS Mission Ignores Agency’s Mandate and American History
Francis Cissna, Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), unveiled a new mission statement for the agency last week, notably deleting the words “a nation of immigrants” as well as other key principles central to the agency’s work. Given the sweeping changes underway in the enforcement… Read More
USCIS Changes to Asylum Interview Scheduling Allows Long-Pending Cases to Languish
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made abrupt and sweeping changes to how the agency will schedule interviews for affirmative asylum applications. Rather than interviewing those who have been waiting months or years for their interview, asylum offices will now prioritize brand new filings ahead of all others waiting in… Read More
Lawsuit Asks Government to Stop Blocking Temporary Protected Status Holders from Applying for Green Cards
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an important humanitarian protection for people who are in the United States when certain natural disasters or civil conflict strike their home countries, making it unsafe for them to return. Despite the fact that conditions in many of these countries have not improved since their… Read More
What You Need to Know About Foreign-Trained Doctors in the U.S. Healthcare System
There are more than 247,000 doctors with medical degrees from foreign countries practicing in the United States. A fourth of all physicians in the nation are foreign-trained—the majority of whom are also likely foreign-born (based on medical licensing data). With healthcare worker shortages projected for the foreseeable future,… Read More
Trump’s Derogatory Comments Revive Racist Legacy in Immigration Policy
Media outlets around the globe reported on President Trump’s disparaging comments regarding nationals of certain countries. According to the Washington Post, during a discussion with lawmakers in the White House regarding protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries on Thursday, the president asked “Why are we… Read More
USCIS Makes It Harder for Congress to Help Constituents with Immigration Cases
A critical service that members of Congress provide for their constituents is case assistance with the agencies that oversee federal programs like Social Security and immigration. Oftentimes, when constituents get stuck in backlogs or need help, a congressperson’s office can serve as a critical intermediary between an individual and an inefficient government agency. Read More
USCIS Will Now Consider the DACA Applications That Got Lost in the Mail
When a slowdown with the U.S. Postal Service caused over 100 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal applications to arrive after the October 5 deadline, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services said there was nothing it could do—the rejection was final. But in a reversal announced on Wednesday night, USCIS… Read More
USCIS Is Receiving a Record Number of Citizenship Applications
The average processing time for United States citizenship applications used to take five to seven months – already a lengthy timeline for immigrants waiting to get their citizenship vetted and approved. A spike in applications before and after the 2016 presidential election has caused that wait time to double. Yet,… Read More
The Fate of Hundreds of Thousands of TPS Recipients to Be Decided
Thousands of immigrants living and working in the United States are poised to learn whether their temporary immigration status will be extended or terminated in the coming days. The 300,000 nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua, who have been permitted to live in the United States… Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone