Tag: USCIS

On Sept. 1, 2016, USCIS announced the award of nearly $10 million in grants under two competitive funding opportunities to 46 organizations to help permanent residents prepare and apply for U.S. citizenship. The organizations are located in 21 states and will receive funding through September 2018. Since it began in 2009, the USCIS Citizenship and […]

USCIS has launched a refresh of InfoPass, an online system that lets applicants schedule an appointment at a USCIS office. New features of the site include a mapping function that makes it easier to find a local USCIS office in the United States and an improved visual style that matches the rest of the USCIS […]

On August 1, 2016, E-Verify will begin deactivating user IDs that have not been accessed for 270 days (approximately every nine months). How can I avoid deactivation of my user ID? Users can avoid deactivation by logging in with their user ID at least once every 270 days. What should Corporate Administrators and Program Administrators […]

A number of L-1A employers have recently reported receiving suspicious letters being sent to their L-1A executives. The letters use incorrect grammar and claim to be signed by Lori Scialabba, the Deputy Director of USCIS. The scam letter claims that the executives do not earn a high enough salary and must appear for an interview. […]

In December of 2015, USCIS launched a virtual assistant named “Emma” to help web visitors find information quickly. Emma was originally launched in English only. Since then, USCIS has been working hard to train Emma to speak Spanish. In March, USCIS began testing Emma on Spanish to help customers find what they need. After honing […]

USCIS offers immigration relief measures for people who have been affected by a natural disaster, such as the severe earthquakes that recently occurred in Ecuador, Japan and Burma. To seek relief because of a natural disaster, you must still file any regularly required USCIS form(s) for your specific request, and then explain how the natural […]

In an effort to improve the efficiency of the employment-based visa process, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a “known employer” pilot program to test a preapproval process for companies seeking to bring foreign workers into the U.S. Under the pilot, nine companies will be preselected to file applications with USCIS requesting a […]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have released draft guidance on how it will consider evidence supporting O-1 immigration applicants, which cover people with extraordinary abilities in science, education, business, athletics, and the arts, by clarifying how it will weigh supporting information for an application. The new guidelines should eliminate some ambiguity on O-1 applications by […]

Have a question for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services? “Emma” can help. Emma, a virtual assistant recently launched on uscis.gov, is named after Emma Lazarus. Her poem, “The New Colossus,” is inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Ms. Lazarus was a writer who was also involved in charitable work for refugees. On […]

“Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness” is a joint initiative between the United States and Canada to enhance security and expedite trade and travel in order to benefit both nations. From the declaration by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper released on February 4, 2011: “The United States and […]