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 Automatically Extend Green Cards for Naturalization Applicants
As of December 12, 2022, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has updated its policy manual to provide twenty four month automatic extensions to Green Card expirations to Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPRs”) applying for naturalization when they properly file an N-400, Application for Naturalization. The automatic extension applies to those LPRs filing N-400s on or after the 12th of December 2022.
Read moreUSCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extensions to Two Years for Renewals
In an effort to relieve longer than usual processing times for those seeking to replace or renew their Permanent Residency cards (or Green Cards), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that as of September 26, 2022, it will automatically extend the validity of Permanent Residency cards, or Green Cards, to twenty four months for those lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”) who file Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card) to renew an expiring or expired Green Card.
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 morePresident Biden Issues Proclamation Revoking Trump's Ban for Immigrants Outside the US
On February 24, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed a proclamation revoking former President Trump’s suspension of the issuance of immigrant visas (Green Cards) to those outside the United States, which Trump put forth at the time to purportedly assist with the economic recovery for American workers affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Specifically, President Biden’s proclamation revokes the suspension of entry imposed in Proclamation 10014 (April 22, 2020), as extended by section 1 of Proclamation 10052 (June 22, 2020), and section 1 of Proclamation 10131 (December 31, 2020).
Read moreUSCIS Will Replace Sticker That Extends Validity of Green Cards in January 2021
Beginning in January 2021, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (PRC, and also called a “Green Card”), with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. USCIS states that the revised I-797 receipt notice, along with an applicant’s Green Card, will serve as temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status for twelve months from the expiration date on front of the Green Card. USCIS notes:
Read moreAILA: Extensive Delays for Printing of EAD Cards and Green Cards
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) states that in recent weeks they have received reports from members of delays in the issuance of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) and Lawful Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., Green Cards) for some employment-based, family-based, and asylum-based immigration applications. Columnist Catherine Rampell in The Washington Post also confirmed the delays noting that US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has shut down printing EADs and Green Cards at one facility in Corbin, Kentucky, weeks ago, as well as scaled back printing at a second facility in Lee's Summit, Missouri, all of which have led to these massive delays.
Read moreUSCIS Expands Credit Card Payment Option for Fees
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced last week that the agency will now be accepting credit card payments for forms filed and processed at USCIS Lockbox facilities. This new payment option is available for forty-one fee based forms, including most forms for both marriage-based green cards and employment-based green cards, as well as citizenship applications. Examples of these forms include Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-131 Application for Travel Document, Form I-140 Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, and Form N-400 Application for Naturalization.
Read moreDoD: “Policy Changes to Lawful Permanent Residents and the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Pilot Program”
Earlier this month the Department of Defense (DoD) announced key changes to its policies regarding screening of Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and qualifying service for the purposes of military naturalization. The DoD states that they made the changes after “lessons learned” from the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Pilot Program—a program devised as a way for legal noncitizens to obtain expedited citizenship when they join the US military and provide critical and in-demand skills, including medical and language skills. After criticism of the security screening for MAVNI recruits, along with threats that the program would be discontinued, the DoD says that, while expedited US citizenship achieved through military service can be valuable, it is in the “national interest to ensure that all current and prospective service members complete security and suitability screening prior to naturalization.”
Read moreUSCIS Launches Mobile Form for Replacing Green Card
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new way to file the Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. Lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders) who file the online Form I-90, without assistance from an attorney or accredited representative, can now file the I-90 and upload the necessary evidence entirely on a mobile device. This redesign of the online Form I-90—which applicants use to renew or replace a Green Card—also allows lawful permanent residents to navigate the online site more easily and should, USCIS claims, make the overall process of renewing or replacing Green Cards “more convenient.” The I-90 is one form that can easily be prepared and filed by foreign nationals themselves without the assistance of attorneys. Protima previously discussed the process of applying for an I-90, which is helpful knowledge in case the Green Card is ever lost (God forbid!) or needs to be replaced or renewed.
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