Phase 2 of Bi-Specialization to Begin July 24, 2006 Posted Jul 07, 2006 ©MurthyDotCom The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a press release on June 30, 2006, expanding their bi-specialization program. This change applies to employment-based applications for Adjustment of Status, Form I-485. As previously reported, bi-specialization is a program that provides for the adjudication of certain types of immigration filings at only two of the service centers, rather than at all four of the USCIS service centers. [See also Bi-Specialization and Termination of Concurrent Filings: June 2006 Update.] The program is designed to enhance efficiency and uniformity and was initially reported in our March 31, 2006 MurthyBulletin article, USCIS Begins Bi-Specialization April 1, 2006, available on MurthyDotCom. ©MurthyDotCom All Employment-Based I-485s Filed with NSC ©MurthyDotCom The new procedure provides that all employment-based I-485 applications should be filed with the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) as of July 24, 2006. Persons filing I-131s and I-765s with these I-485s should also send those forms to the NSC. ©MurthyDotCom Adjudication of I-485s through NSC & TSC ©MurthyDotCom As with the I-140 petitions, covered by phase one of bi-specialization, the NSC will be processing some of the I-485 applications and sending the remaining applications to the Texas Service Center (TSC). Thus, some who file their I-485s in Nebraska will receive receipt notices from the TSC. It is not yet clear whether the NSC and TSC will try to match the I-485 processing to the same service center that processed the I-140 petition. The TSC and NSC are paired as sister service centers under the bi-specialization program. ©MurthyDotCom Conclusion ©MurthyDotCom The long-term effects of bi-specialization are expected to be beneficial. There were some initial delays in receiving receipt notices for some of the bi-specialization cases in stage one. The volume of cap-subject cases also limited the Vermont Service Center's (VSC's) ability to accurately count the H1B cap cases as they arrived in April and May 2006. It is our hope, however, that there will be vast improvements as the service centers enter phase two of bi-specialization, and that this program will achieve the USCIS's goal, increasing efficiency and consistency in case adjudications. Copyright © 2006, MURTHY LAW FIRM. All Rights Reserved
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