The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan, is home to a new larger-than-life sculpture. The piece, titled “The Great Debate,” is part of artist Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy series. The artist is known for creating narrative-driven art, often featuring his signature character, Flyboy. Described as “an exploration of what a superhero character of color would look like,” Flyboy can be found in comics, on murals, t-shirts, skateboards, and stickers, as well as in more traditional paint-on-canvas artworks. The 16-foot-tall statue in The Battery “features Flyboy in a stance that represents confident optimism.” The artist, Brantley, suggests, “My hope is that The Great Debate at The Battery will serve as a consistent reminder to hold your head high, stand firm in what you believe in, and keep pushing forward with confidence.”
The Times Square Ball Drop was Created by an Immigrant
USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is once again extending the flexibilities it originally announced on March 30, 2020. USCIS’ 60-day deadline extension policy for responses to various agency actions has been extended to March 26, 2022, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors who are responding to:
Requests for Evidence;
Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
Notices of Intent to Deny;
Notices of Intent to Revoke;
Notices of Intent to Rescind;
Notices of Intent to Terminate regional centers;
Motions to Reopen an N-400 Pursuant to 8 CFR 335.5, Receipt of Derogatory Information After Grant.
H-1B Salary Based Selection Process Final Rule is Officially Withdrawn
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that the January 2021 final rule modifying the H-1B selection process has officially been withdrawn by The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). This rule would have eliminated the random selection process known as the H-1B visa lottery, and replaced it with a process prioritizing those foreign nationals who are offered the highest salaries relative to their occupation and geographic area according to the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) prevailing wage system.
Read moreRockefeller Center Christmas Tree
The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is one of the most iconic symbols of Christmas in New York City. Tourists and locals alike come to Midtown Manhattan every year to see the enormous, brightly lit tree. This year, the tree is a 79ft tall Norway Spruce, which was carted to the plaza from Maryland and decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored lights strung on approximately 5 miles of wire. This Christmas Tradition has a long history – this year’s tree was not even planted yet when workers at Rockefeller Center put up the very first one and decorated it with garlands made by their families. 90 years ago, that first tree was modest, bought with money pooled together by the workers. Today, the search for the perfect tree takes all year, and it is a major operation to transport it to New York City and decorate it. The Christmas tree lights up Rockefeller Plaza through the holiday season, before eventually being donated to Habitat for Humanity as lumber to help build homes.
Thank Immigrants for your 'American' Christmas
Office Holiday Party
This week, we had our annual office holiday party! We celebrated by taking a cruise around the southern tip of Manhattan, where we got to see landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge up close. The Statue of Liberty, of course, has been welcoming immigrants to New York City since 1886, holding up her torch to light the way to America’s shores. The Brooklyn Bridge has been a notable feature of the city for even longer, as it was designed by a Prussian immigrant in the 1860s and was completed by his daughter-in-law in 1883. After taking in the views of the skyline and the city’s rich history, we headed over to the Spanish Diner at Hudson Yards for delicious food and drinks and lots of lively conversation. We had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in our beautiful city!
USCIS Announces Temporary Waiver of Sixty-Day Rule for Civil Surgeon Signatures
On December 9, 2021, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published a policy alert [https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-temporarily-waiving-60-day-rule-for-civil-surgeon-signatures] temporarily waiving the requirement for civil surgeons to sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than sixty days before an applicant files an application for the underlying immigration benefit (including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status). This rule will remain in effect until September 30, 2022. This measure allows foreign nationals, with otherwise valid I-693s, to complete the application process without having to submit to further immigration medical examinations, even if the civil surgeon signed their I-693 more than sixty days before they file their application with USCIS.
Read moreTPS Applicants May Now File Online for Status and Work Authorization
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) recently announced that commencing November 29, 2021, all Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) applicants may file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online. In the past, online filing of Form I-821 was limited to TPS applicants from certain specific countries. Under the new policy, nationals of all countries currently designated for TPS, namely Burma (Myanmar), El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, may file Forms I-821 and I-765 through USCIS’ online account system.
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