United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that US lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”) who find themselves without a valid Green Card in their possession to demonstrate their current LPR status may now receive temporary evidence of their status by mail, rather than having to physically visit a field office to receive an Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication (“ADIT”) stamp, which is also known as an I-551 stamp.
Read moreUSCIS Updates Policy to Waive Interview for Some Conditional Permanent Residents
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced it would be adopting a risk-based approach in its policy to allow immigration officers to waive in-person interviews for conditional permanent residents (“CPRs”) who have filed a petition to remove the conditions on their permanent resident status. The newly updated policy sets out the criteria USCIS officers are to use when deciding to waive interviews of the US citizens and lawful permanent residents’ (“LPR”) family members who have conditional permanent residency status in the US and have submitted a Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residency. This update, effective immediately, replaces previous guidance that required all CPRs undergo an interview if they obtained CPR status through consular processing.
Read moreUSCIS Opens New Lockbox Facility
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) opened a new lockbox facility in Elgin, Illinois to expand its lockbox capability. On February 1, 2022, Elgin was added as a filing location for residents of certain states filing Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. The agency plans to move additional filings to the Elgin lockbox in the coming weeks, including Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The transition is expected to be completed by late summer of this year. Additionally, in the fall of 2022, USCIS is planning to move the lockbox facility in Arizona from Phoenix to Tempe.
Read moreUSCIS: Update to Form I-797 Receipt Notices for Form I-751 and Form I-829
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that as of June 11, 2018, petitioners who file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, will receive a Form I-797 receipt notice which can be presented with their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, as evidence of continued status for eighteen months past the expiration date on their Permanent Resident Card.
Read moreUSCIS: Processing Error for Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) says that due to a processing error, on May 4, 2018, the agency mailed a number of biometric services appointment notices with incorrect Application Support Center (ASC) locations to petitioners who filed Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. These affected notices have a date of May 4, 2018 and a case type of “I-751 – PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE.” Theses notices instruct petitioners to appear for their biometric services appointments beginning the week of May 21, 2018, at ASCs located out of the normal geographic area.
Read moreUSCIS to Recall Incorrectly Dated Green Cards
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that beginning May 14, 2018, the agency will begin recalling approximately 8,543 Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., Green Cards) due to a production error. The Green Cards, printed with an incorrect “Resident Since” date and mailed between February and April 2018, were for approved Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, for spouses of US citizens. Since spouses of US citizens may apply for naturalization after three years of permanent residency (and when they meet other requirements), the incorrect date on these Green Cards could potentially cause applicants to wait longer than necessary to apply for naturalization.
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