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Immigration News Briefs

Provided by Humera Subhani

July 2020

USCIS opening for certain services

Beginning June 4, 2020, certain USCIS field offices and asylum offices have resumed non-emergency face-to-face services to the public. Application support centers will resume services later. USCIS has enacted precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in reopened facilities, listed at www.uscis.gov as well as on appointment notices. Here are some of the guidelines:

Members of the public must wear facial coverings that cover both the mouth and nose when entering facilities. If they do not have one, USCIS may provide one or the visitor will be asked to reschedule their appointment. There will be markings and physical barriers in the facility; visitors should pay close attention to these signs to ensure they follow social distancing guidelines. Individuals may also have to answer health screening questions before entering a facility. Individuals are encouraged to bring their own black or blue ink pens. Please note that you must have a scheduled appointment with USCIS before arriving at one of their offices.

Naturalization ceremonies to resume

USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners to reschedule postponed naturalization ceremonies. The legally required ceremony will not be missed. Attendance is limited to the candidates who are scheduled to be naturalized, a parent or trusted adult if the candidate is a minor, and individuals providing disability assistance to a candidate. Some naturalization ceremonies may be conducted differently than in the past. You may receive supplemental information from USCIS that provides
detailed instructions for your ceremony.

Premium processing for certain petitions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in phases over the month of June.

Supreme Court blocks efforts to end DACA

On June 18, in a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to end DACA protections
for hundreds of thousands of young adults who had entered the U.S. as children. The ruling stated that the administration failed to provide an adequate reason to justify ending the Obama era DACA program. The administration
may try again to end the program, but that would take many months to several years. What this means for DACA recipients is that they can continue to apply for renewals until Congress can decide on a more permanent solution. Several Democratic lawmakers applauded the decision while calling for Congress to pass legislation to give Dreamers a path for permanent residency.

APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES—JULY 2020

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	08Jul14	08Jul14
2A	Current	Current
2B	01May15	01May15
3rd	08May08	08May08
4th	08Feb05	22Aug06

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	08May17	Current
2nd	08Jul09	Current
3rd	01Jun09	15Apr18
Other	01Jun09	15Apr18
4th	Current	Current
5th	Current	Current1B

DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS—JULY 2020

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	22Apr15	22Apr15
2A	01Jun20	01Jun20
2B	01Feb16	01Feb16
3rd	15Apr09	15Apr09
4th	22Oct05	15Aug07

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Aug17	Current
2nd	15Aug09	Current
3rd	01Feb10	01Apr19
Other	01Feb10	01Apr19
4th	Current	Current
5th	Current	Current1B