USCIS
New Biden Administration Policies Offer Crucial Protections for Immigrant Youth
The government made two important announcements on March 7th affecting immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned, and neglected. The first is a new policy that offers work permits and deportation protection to children with approved Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) petitions. The second is a long-anticipated SIJS regulation, clarifying… Read More
This USCIS Policy Change Will Reunite Vulnerable LGBTQ Refugee and Asylum Couples
In February, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reversed Trump administration guidance that limited recognition of marriages performed abroad only to those considered “valid” in the country where they took place. This narrow interpretation of the “place-of-celebration” rule left many refugees and asylees without a way to reunite with their… Read More
Why USCIS’ New Mission Statement Is So Crucial
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unveiled a new mission statement this week, signaling an important shift in how the agency wants to tell its story and shape its priorities ahead. On February 8, USCIS Director Ur Jaddou announced the agency’s new mission. “USCIS upholds America’s promise as a… Read More
The House Passes the America COMPETES Act, Including Immigration Reforms to Help the U.S. Economy
The House of Representatives passed an economic competitiveness bill on February 4 that includes several immigration provisions. The bill is called the ‘‘America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022’’—or the America COMPETES Act of 2022. This bill (which is more than… Read More
Immigration Court Comes Into the 21st Century with Electronic Filing for Attorneys
Immigration courts will soon take a big step into the digital age. On February 11, 2022, immigration attorneys, accredited representatives, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyers, will be required to electronically file immigration court paperwork in new immigration cases. This update won’t make the immigration court system fully paperless. Read More
U.S. Citizenship Applicants Are in Limbo Because Their Immigration Files Are Locked in Caves Underground
Thousands of applicants for U.S. citizenship have been waiting for well over a year for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process their applications. But the problem isn’t the usual bureaucratic red tape. In this case, thousands of paper-based immigration records (known as “A-Files”) are locked in man-made… Read More
Biden Administration Actions to Attract ‘International STEM Talent’ and Increase Global Competition
The Biden administration recently announced four actions intended to improve immigration “pathways” for noncitizens in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, these changes are constrained by the delays at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and congressional limits on immigrant visa numbers. These actions include: Early Career STEM… Read More
Failure to Reauthorize Employment Harms Asylum Seekers and the U.S. Economy
U.S. workers are losing their jobs due to bureaucratic delays at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), despite an economy desperate for workers. Asylum seekers wanting to renew their employment authorization documents are often waiting for upwards of a year for renewal, resulting in job loss and associated benefits. On… Read More
Changing Cut Off Dates Leave India EB-3 Applicants in an Immigration Limbo
Annual limits on immigrant visa numbers, combined with processing delays and wasted numbers, mean even longer waits for people to become U.S. permanent residents. In November, the “cut off” date for visa eligibility retrogressed (moved backward in time) for people born in India who are in the employment-based (EB) third… Read More
Here’s How Americans Can Sponsor Afghan Refugees as They Resettle in US Communities
Since the last evacuation flights left Afghanistan, there have been over 68,000 Afghan allies housed on Department of Defense bases waiting for resettlement. The scope and size of the mission, designated as Operation Allies Welcome, is of historic proportions. It has brought together interagency governmental taskforces, refugee resettlement organizations,… Read More
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