USCIS has updated Form N-400 Application for Naturalization. As of December 23, 2016, USCIS will ONLY accept the new version. Also, as of December 22, 2016, USCIS will require the new fees to be paid for N-400 and all other USCIS forms that have been subject to the fee increase. You can find the new USCIS Form N-400 here: https://www.uscis.gov/n-400 You can find the USCIS fee increase list Read More
US Citizenship Naturalization Civics Test
If you think that you are eligible for US citizenship, start studying for the naturalization civics test. There are many study documents available at the USCIS website. Before you apply for US citizenship, contact my law firm or another immigration attorney and set up a meeting to discuss your eligibility. You may decide to file on your own, but it is always recommended to talk with an attorney before filing. Read More
Naturalization Ceremonies at National Parks
On August 25, 2016, the National Parks Service partnered with the USCIS to celebrate their 100th anniversary with a series of naturalization ceremonies in national parks throughout the country. To view a complete list of naturalization ceremonies held in national parks on August 25, please visit USCIS website. Read More
I-601A Waiver Expanded to Include
What does the I-601A Waiver Do? The I-601A waiver helps someone avoid being barred from re-entry from the United States after she departs the US. Someone would be barred from re-entering the US for 3 years or 10 years if she had been present in the US for more than 180 days (3 years) or one year (10 years). This means that someone who is not eligible to get a green card in the US can apply for an I-601A waiver, get Read More
Extreme Hardship Policy Guidance
USCIS has issued draft guidance relating to the "extreme hardship" requirement of certain waivers of inadmissibility. While this is still draft guidance, USCIS lays out numerous factors that any potential waiver applicant should consider, as well as hypothetical scenarios that USCIS would or would not deem to rise to the level of "extreme hardship" to a qualifying relative. The draft guidance can be found here. Read More
Overworked Immigration Courts: New All-Time High Hearing Wait Times
According to the very latest information (end of August 2015) obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice, there is a backlog of 456,644 cases pending before the judges in the nation's Immigration Courts. This means the court backlog has increased by more than 100,000 cases from the 344,230 that were pending at the beginning of FY 2014. The average wait time for an individual in the Immigration Court's pending Read More
USCIS Now Publishes Some International Processing Times
USCIS just announced that it now publishes processing times for I-130, I-131, and I-730 petitions processing at certain overseas offices. This is a great start to helping immigrants understand and manage expectations about what to expect when applying for immigration benefits at US embassies, consulates, and regional international offices. Immigrants, their families, and their attorneys will hope that USCIS publishes Read More
USCIS incorrectly sends approved I-130s to National Records Center
When your I-130 is approved, it should be sent to the National Visa Center if you will be consular processing your immigrant visa. Recently, applicants have reported that approved I-130 cases have been sent to the National Records Center instead of the National Visa Center. Clearly, this poses a problem for any consular processing application. For folks applying for I-601A provisional waivers of inadmissibility, this Read More
Hello@CambridgeImmigrationLaw.com
Visit us at our office:
111 Rice Street Cambridge, MA 02140