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NEW USCIS FACT SHEET REGARDING TWO-YEAR EADs

The USCIS has issued a new Fact Sheet (Q&A) that states that the new two-year EADs are limited to certain individuals who have applied for legal permanent resident status.

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USCIS TO OFFER PREMIUM PROCESSING FOR CERTAIN I-140 PETITIONS

According to a USCIS Update: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that on June 16, 2008, it will begin accepting Premium Processing Service requests for Forms I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) filed on behalf of certain alien workers who are nearing the end of their sixth year in H-1B nonimmigrant status.”

The agency has also published a related Fact Sheet.

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JULY 2008 VISA BULLETIN

The DOS has released the July 2008 Visa Bulletin.

The Employment-Based third preference category (EB-3) is Unavailable for all countries.

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TRUE IMMIGRANT STORIES

According to an interesting article on boston.com:  “Traditionally, marriage to a US citizen is one of the easiest ways for immigrants to gain legal residency. But now it can be an uphill battle, even for legitimate couples with children, mortgages, and scrapbooks filled with photos.”

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USCIS CENTRALIZES INITIAL NATURALIZATION PROCESSING

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it has centralized initial processing of all applications for naturalization (Form-400) at its National Benefits Center in Missouri. This change is part of the USCIS initiative to increase the efficiency of case management and improve customer service.”

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USCIS CLARIFIES LANGUAGE IN FORM I-751 TRANSFER NOTICES SENT TO PETITIONERS

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it will revise language in transfer notices received by petitioners who filed a Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. The current notice includes language that may cause petitioners to believe their cases have been approved.”

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U.S. TO REQUIRE ELECTRONIC TRAVEL DATA

According to an article on boston.com:  “The United States will make visa-free foreign travelers provide electronic information about themselves and their trip before they depart, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Tuesday.”

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SUBSCRIBING TO IMMIGRANTCONNECT.COM

I notice that the list of subscribers to this blog grows weekly.  If you would like to subscribe, here’s what our resident tech genius had to say regarding how to do it:

All they need to do is point their RSS reader to http://immigrantconnect.com/feed/.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication,”  and the idea behind RSS is that you won’t have to keep coming back to websites for updates.  Instead, a piece of software called an “RSS Reader” will do that job of checking the websites you specify for updates, alerting you when new articles are available, and then presenting the new articles in a succinct form.

Modern web browsers (such as Firefox and Internet Explorer 6), e-mail clients (such as Thunderbird), and some portals like My Yahoo! and Google already work as RSS readers.   For Outlook, there’s a free plug-in called RSS Popper, which you can download here:  http://rsspopper.blogspot.com/

Doesn’t sound “really simple” to me, but I welcome new subscribers.

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USCIS MOVES LOCKBOX TO NEW SITE IN CHICAGO

According to a USCIS Update:

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) moved the agency Lockbox to a new location in Chicago on May 28. While the Post Office Box address is the same, the move changes the address for deliveries by private couriers (non-USPS).

The new address for deliveries by private courier is:
USCIS:
Attn: Please check Form Instructions for the proper Attn: information
131 South Dearborn, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517

Express courier services have agreed to forward packages to the new site for 90 days (until Aug. 24, 2008). During this transition period, USCIS will accept and process without delay all cases otherwise properly filed.

Forms processed at the USCIS Chicago Lockbox include those associated with family-based adjustment of status, all Petitions for Alien Relative (Form I-130), and Temporary Protective Status.”

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SSI BENEFICIARIES CAN REQUEST EXPEDITED PROCESSING OF FORMS I-485 AND N-400

The USCIS has issued a Press Release:  Questions and Answers:  Expedited Processing Available for Certain Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Beneficiaries.