USCIS Operations is assuring USCIS customers that current immigration programs and possible future immigration policies will continue to be implemented. USCIS will process all applications, petitions, and requests consistent with current statutory laws, regulations, and policies. USCIS cannot comment on what sort of policies the incoming Administration may choose to prioritize or pursue.

A former officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), who had the authority to approve applications for citizenship, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison Friday for taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. Daniel Espejo Amos, 68, of Lakewood, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald in Los Angeles. The charges against Amos stemmed from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI. Amos pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy and one count of accepting cash bribes. When he pleaded guilty, Amos admitted he accepted more than $53,000 in bribes from immigration consultants on behalf of foreign nationals who were not eligible to become United States citizens. “This defendant violated his oath to the United States by accepting more than $53,000 in cash bribes in exchange for helping at least 60 aliens to obtain U.S. citizenship – even though he knew the immigrants did not qualify for this benefit,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa Fernandez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

Highlights Include: I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) increases from $340 to $535 I-130 Petition for Alien Relative increases from $420 to $535 N-400 Application for Naturalization increases to $640 I-601A Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver increases to $630 For a complete list of new fees click here.

A Venezuelan woman who was charged with engaging in a $1.5 million immigration conspiracy and was arrested after unsuccessfully attempting to flee the U.S. for Caracas has been sentenced by a Florida federal judge to two and a half years of prison.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released FY2016 data showing border apprehensions are at 40-year lows. Far fewer individuals are trying to cross our borders than at any time since the 1970s. In October 2016, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson announced that apprehensions at the Southwest Border in FY2016 were 408,870 – roughly one-third of what they were 15 years ago. In the early 2000s, apprehension figures were regularly well over a million annually. From 2004 to 2013, Border Patrol apprehensions of individuals from non-Mexican countries averaged just 89,600 annually. By contrast, in 2014, that number jumped to more than 257,000,...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today the launch of the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) website for early enrollments. Nationals of the People’s Republic of China with a 10-year visa will update their information every two years using EVUS. EVUS is the online system used by nationals of the People’s Republic of China holding a 10-year B1/B2, B1 or B2 (visitor) visa to update basic biographic information to facilitate their travel to the United States. Beginning November 29, 2016 nationals of the People’s Republic of China holding 10-year B1/B2, B1 or B2 (visitor) visas will not be able...

The DOL Atlanta National Processing Center (ANPC) will begin issuing PERM notification letters via e-mail beginning December 1, 2016. Electronic notification e-mails will ensure PERM stakeholders receive ETA Form 9089 application determination notifications in a timely, cost effective manner without 'in the mail' delivery delays. To ensure this electronic notification delivery convenience works for all PERM stakeholders, please addsr.processsing@dol.gov and plc.atlanta@dol.gov to your Address Book or Safe List within your e-mail system(s) to avoid being filtered as SPAM. In addition, if e-mail addresses for the authorized representative or employer have changed, please notify either sr.processing@dol.gov (Supervised Recruitment cases) or plc.atlanta@dol.gov (all other correspondence). Please provide the case...

SUBJECT: Definition of Certain Classes of Medical Conditions and Other Updates Relating to Health-Related Grounds of Inadmissibility Purpose U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding health-related grounds of inadmissibility in accordance with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rulemaking updating Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 34 (42 CFR 34). USCIS is updating its guidance in Volume 8, Part B of the Policy Manual to reflect the changes to the HHS final regulation published on January 26, 2016 which became effective on March 28, 2016. Accordingly,...

The USCIS fees for most applications and petitions will increase for the first time in 6 years by a weighted average of 21 percent. These include the costs associated with fraud detection and national security, customer service and case processing, and providing services without charge to refugee and asylum applicants and to other customers eligible for fee waivers or exemptions. The final rule contains a table summarizing current and new fees which will also be listed on the USCIS Fees webpage. Form G-1055 will not reflect the new fees until the effective date. Applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or...

On September 30, 2016, USCIS published new Form I-131A which allows lawful permanent residents to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) if they are returning from temporary overseas travel of less than one year and their Permanent Resident Card was lost, stolen or destroyed; or returning from temporary overseas travel of less than two years and their Reentry Permit was lost, stolen or destroyed. USCIS made this announcement on September 30, 2016 and it is available online.