A recent computer glitch in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) system has led to the issuance of receipt notices (form I-797) that inadvertently include requests for evidence (RFEs). These receipt notices, asking for missing photographs, have been generated by the Nebraska Service Center...
The National Visa Center (NVC) has changed the requirements regarding supporting documentation submitted in immigrant visa applications. As of November 12, 2014, the NVC has begun accepting photocopies of civil documents, rather than requiring originals. Background on the NVC In cases where a foreign national wishes to...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated three West African countries for temporary protected status (TPS), due to the outbreak of Ebola in the region. Effective November 21, 2014, nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone living in the United States are eligible...
A policy alert was issued in September 2014, announcing an update to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) online policy manual. The USCIS Policy Manual, which was published online in January 2013, remains a work-in-progress, with new sections sporadically being added. This latest addition pertains to...
Top officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) participated in an October 9, 2014 meeting with an American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) committee on immigration benefits. One key topic discussed during that meeting was the current state of the H1B and L-1 Administrative...
On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the creation of a new website, myE-Verify, that is related to the E-Verify program and is intended to help workers combat fraud and protect against identity theft. It also will serve to educate employees...
As previously noted on MurthyDotCom, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced having mistakenly scheduled some applicants for more than one biometric appointment. On October 3, 2014, the USCIS issued instructions on the steps individuals should take upon being scheduled for a second appointment. Problem Identified in...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) often issues a variety of inked stamps in the passports of foreign nationals. These stamps are simple in appearance, but the government has long used specialized security ink for such stamps. Starting in the summer of 2014, the...
For some time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has been taking steps to reduce the processing times for "stand alone" I-130 petitions filed on behalf of immediate relatives - that is, family-based cases filed for the parent, spouse, or (unmarried, minor) child of...
The U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed in an August 27, 2014 teleconference with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that there are ongoing delays in processing employment authorization document (EAD) applications. Such delays have potentially serious implications for both individuals and employers....
