Month: August 2014

The Department of State has amended the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for some nonimmigrant and immigrant visa application processing fees, and special visa services. The interim final rule will take effect on September 6, 2014; written comments should be submitted by October 21, 2014.

The interim final rule amends the application processing fees for two categories of petition-based nonimmigrant visas and the tiered application processing fees for immigration visas. It also amends the security surcharge for immigrant visa services and the fees for certain immigrant visa services. Finally, the rule raises the application processing fee for the renunciation of U.S. citizenship and lowers the hourly consular officer time charge.

On July 1, 2014, USCIS began using a new, secure blue ink for many of its secure stamps. On that date, the older secure red ink was retired and no longer used. USCIS stamps with this secure blue ink include the DHS Parole Stamp; I-551 Alien Documentary Identification and Telecommunication Stamp; Refugee Stamp; Asylum Stamp; and Initial/Replacement I-94 stamp.

The standard black ink will continue to be used on the following stamps: Approval Stamp for Applications Received; Denial Stamp for Applications Received; Director’s Signature Stamp for Certificates of Naturalization and Citizenship; and other similar USCIS documents.

USCIS clarifies the processes by which applicants can select delivery services and timelines. USCIS customers, whose petitions or applications are processed at a USCIS Service Center or the National Benefits Center and who wish to receive certain documents back by overnight delivery service, must include a valid prepaid air bill or shipping label with their filing. USCIS will use that prepaid air bill or label whenever possible.

Please note that this service is available only for the following document types:

Advance parole documents
Re-entry permits
Refugee travel documents
Approval notices (Service Centers only)
Notices of denial (Service Centers only)

To ensure there are no delays remember to include a valid prepaid air bill or shipping label, enter your name in both the to and from fields of the label and pay all delivery costs in advance.

USCIS is closely watching the effects of the Ebola outbreak in West African and is offering relief measures to people who are nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and are currently in the United States. If requested, these relief measures include:

• Changing or extending nonimmigrant status for individuals currently in the United States, even if such a request is filed after the period of admission has expired
• Extension of certain grants of parole
• Expedited adjudication and approval of requests for off-campus employment for F-1 students facing economic hardships
• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, when those relatives are in the United States
• Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications
• Potential waivers of fees for USCIS benefit applications

On August 8, 2014, USCIS provided an update of the amount of cap-subject H-2B visas received and approved by the federal agency for the second half of fiscal year 2014. According to USCIS, a total of 25,442 beneficiaries have been approved for the second half of fiscal year 2014, with an additional 1,235 petitions pending. USCIS has begun accepting applications for the first half of Fiscal Year 2015; 1,312 beneficiaries have been approved, and 950 petitions are currently pending.

Congressionally-based legislation limits the amount of H-2B visas provided per fiscal year to a total of 66,000, with 33,000 allocated for employment for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 allocated for employment for the second half of the fiscal year. Unused numbers from the first half of the fiscal year are made available for use by employers seeking H-2B workers during the second half of the year.

On August 1, 2014, USCIS provided an update of the amount of cap-subject H-2B visas received and approved by the federal agency for the second half of fiscal year 2014. According to USCIS, a total of 25,210 beneficiaries have been approved for the second half of fiscal year 2014, with an additional 1,135 petitions pending. USCIS has begun accepting applications for the first half of Fiscal Year 2015; 1,168 beneficiaries have been approved, and 633 petitions are currently pending.

Congressionally-based legislation limits the amount of H-2B visas provided per fiscal year to a total of 66,000, with 33,000 allocated for employment for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 allocated for employment for the second half of the fiscal year. Unused numbers from the first half of the fiscal year are made available for use by employers seeking H-2B workers during the second half of the year.

According to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), the odds that your asylum claim will be denied in Immigration Court has risen. In FY 2012, the rates of denial reached a historic low of just 44.5 percent. They started rising again immediately. In FY 2013 the rates rose to 47.2 percent and during the first 9 months of FY 2014 the rates average 50.2 percent. This number, while higher than seen since FY 2009, is still much lower than rates seen a decade ago when nearly 2 out of every 3 claims were rejected.

The number of asylum claims decided by Immigration Judges continues to drop. The highest point was in FY 2003, when more than 35,000 cases were revised. That number dropped by FY 2010 to just 19,445. In FY 2013 that number was 20,941.

USCIS has developed and published a new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) resource toolkit for community partners. This toolkit provides partners with a breadth of information on the immigration program for international children in the United States. Resources include a how to guide, a tip sheet, a series of frequently asked questions, infographics and informational flyers and lists of resources for DACA candidates.

This toolkit is available online for download. Additional resources include a PowerPoint presentation available for use at outreach events. This presentation can be requested by sending an email to the USCIS Public Engagement Division at Public.Engagement@uscis.dhs.gov. Download the toolkit online.