USCIS to Offer Deferred Action for Special Immigrant Juveniles

USCIS to Offer Deferred Action for Special Immigrant Juveniles

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on March 7, 2022 announced that it is updating the USCIS Policy Manual to consider deferred action and related employment authorization for noncitizens who have an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification but who cannot apply to adjust status […]

U.S. Adopts Rules Easing Path to Green Cards for Abused, Neglected Minors

U.S. Adopts Rules Easing Path to Green Cards for Abused, Neglected Minors

By Daniel Wiessner, Reuters March 7 (Reuters) – U.S. immigration authorities released new policies on Monday that will make it easier for immigrant minors who are victims of parental abuse and neglect to qualify for green cards, finalizing changes first proposed more than a decade ago. The rules from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) […]

USCIS Issues Guidance on Informal Marriages for Derivative Refugee and Asylee Status

USCIS Issues Guidance on Informal Marriages for Derivative Refugee and Asylee Status

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) announced guidance recognizing that a spousal relationship may exist for the purpose of obtaining derivative refugee or asylee status, in certain circumstances, if there is evidence of an informal marriage. This guidance applies to the adjudication of a pending or newly filed Form I-589, […]

USCIS Announces New Agency Mission Statement

“USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve.”

USCIS Announces New Agency Mission Statement

WASHINGTON— Today, 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 […]

Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants

Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants

There are an exceptionally high number of employment-based visas available this fiscal year (October 2021 through September 2022). In partnership with the U.S. Department of State, we are committed to attempting to use all these visa numbers. There are many more visas available in the first (priority workers) and second (workers with advanced degrees or […]

Delays at USCIS Will Hamper Biden’s Actions to Help Foreign Workers and Students in STEM Fields

Delays at USCIS Will Hamper Biden’s Actions to Help Foreign Workers and Students in STEM Fields

By Leslie Dellon, Immigration Impact 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 […]

U.S. Citizenship Applicants are in Limbo Because Their Immigration Files are Locked in Caves Underground

U.S. Citizenship Applicants are in Limbo Because Their Immigration Files are Locked in Caves Underground

By Walter Ewing, Immigration Impact 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 caves that USCIS […]

Failure to Reauthorize Employment Harms Asylum Seekers and the U.S. Economy

Failure to Reauthorize Employment Harms Asylum Seekers and the U.S. Economy

By Kate Goettel, The Immigration Impact 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. […]