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…

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…

The VERMONT SERVICE CENTER has to date transferred to the NEBRASKA SERVICE CENTER over 3,000 principals with their derivatives for a total of 11,000 U visa cases. Another transfer is likely in the first quarter of FY 2017 and transfer notices will be sent out for any cases sent to NSC.

Go to www.uscis.gov website. Click on the “Contact Us” button on the right hand corner. Click on “Get Email Updates” in the “More Information” section and fill out the request to sign up for updates. The website also has the latest news and updates. For example, a recent update that was sent out was a reminder on…

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016  the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in the Federal Register that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is extending the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, effective December 25, 2016, through June 24, 2018.

On October 26, 2016, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended for a period of 18 months, effective December 25, 2016, through June 24, 2018. This extension allows eligible Nepalese nationals (and aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Nepal) to…

USCIS has determined that most applicants in the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories can use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart in the DOS Visa Bulletin for November 2016. However, employment-based, fifth preference applicants must use the Application Final Action Dates chart in the November 2016 Visa Bulletin. The specific guidance from USCIS.gov is as follows: For Family-Sponsored Filings: You must use…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, OCTOBER 21, 2016, released policy guidance on extreme hardship determinations regarding certain relatives. This final guidance is one of the lesser known initiatives announced under President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. This guidance becomes effective December 5, 2016. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing the latest…

Step 1: Contact (800) 375-5283 Contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at (800) 375-5283 or submit an online request. NCSC can help customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups with case-related inquiries and expedites. Step 2: NCSC Follow-Up Email If more than 30 days have passed since you contacted NCSC and the issue has not…

On October 18, 2016, USCIS released the latest updated processing time reports, with processing dates as of August 31, 2016, for the California Service Center (CSC), the Nebraska Service Center (NSC), the Texas Service Center (TSC), the Vermont Service Center (VSC), the Potomac Service Center (YSC), the National Benefits Center (NBC), and the Immigrant Investor (EB-5) Program.