In its pursuit to increase flexibility related to filing deadlines, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced a Policy Manual update regarding filings and responses whose due dates fall on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal holidays. Effective immediately, USCIS will consider a filing or response submitted on paper timely filed if it is received “by the end of the next business day” after the weekend or federal holiday. The Service notes that although the receipt date for these cases will continue to “reflect the date USCIS physically received the request, USCIS will consider the benefit request timely filed.”
Read moreMiami Herald: “Here are five USCIS changes that will impact legal immigrants in the U.S. in 2020”
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the direction of the Trump administration, proposed a number of key immigration changes in 2018 and 2019, some of which are likely to go into effect this year. These changes, many designed to slow or complicate legal immigration, could have a significant impact on the lives of millions of immigrants in the US. Here are some changes to look out for in 2020:
Read more5 Helpful Functions of USCIS.gov Every Foreign National Should Know
The USCIS.gov website, redesigned in 2013 with additional user-friendly features introduced throughout 2014, is inviting and still looks brand new. More importantly, as the official site of US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), USCIS.gov contains a great deal of helpful information and user-friendly tools (and they also have a cool blog!). Here are five functions of USCIS.gov that may serve as useful resources for many foreign nationals and those with cases with USCIS.
1. Check Your Case Status & Submit a Case Inquiry or Service Request Online
Instead of calling the USCIS 1-800 number to check on a case status, the case status online feature allows foreign nationals to track their application or petition by using their receipt number (a unique thirteen-character identifier assigned to each case and included on every I-797 Notice of Action) as it moves through the immigration process. Foreign nationals may also create an account to sign up for email or text message notifications when an update on their case is available, which is especially useful for those who do not want to keep checking USCIS.gov every day.
The case query/service request feature allows foreign nationals to submit case inquiries online—again, instead of calling USCIS—if they believe their pending case is taking longer than the normal processing time; or if a notice, card, or other document was not received by mail and may be lost or missing. It also allows foreign nationals to submit service requests if they need appointment accommodations or if they spot a typographical error in their case information, which is essential to get fixed as soon as possible.
Read moreOh Sh*t I Lost My Green Card
You know the feeling. You know exactly where you put it in your wallet. But it isn’t there. You search all the sections of your wallet, twice. It was just here. Frantically, you search your bag. Maybe it fell out. Where is it??? And then slowly you come to accept that you have lost that most valuable document that took you years to obtain: your Green Card. After many expletives (okay, maybe that was just me!) you realize you have an international trip in three weeks. What a nightmare!
The solution to the problem starts with an application to US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) using Form I-90. This form is used for applications to renew or replace Green Cards. This includes ten-year Green Cards that are expiring, Green Cards that have errors or after a name change, and Green Cards that have been lost or mutilated. The I-90 cannot be used to extend or replace expiring conditional (i.e. two-year) Green Cards.
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