Immigration News Briefs
U-Visa’s statutory maximum reached for FY 2013
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) has approved the statutory maximum of 10,000
petitions for U non-immigrant status for Fiscal Year 2013,
the fourth straight year the federal agency has reached this
maximum limit since the U-visa program began in 2008.
The USCIS will continue to accept U-visa petitions and will
process them in the order in which they are received. These visas
will again be issued starting October 1, 2013, the first day of
Fiscal Year 2014.
The U-visa program was created by Congress to help victims of crime who have suffered major mental or physical abuse and are willing to help law enforcement officials investigate or prosecute those crimes. Over 76,000 victims and their family members have received this visa since the program began.
Identity verification begins in USCIS offices
Individuals attending immigration interviews at local
USCIS district field offices are now required to submit to
biographic verification of their identity. The USCIS began
using a Customer Identity Verification (CIV) tool as of
September 9, 2013. This is an anti-fraud measure that
allows the USCIS to confirm the identity of an individual
appearing in the local office.
The CIV system uses a two-fingerprint electronic scan. An individual who has an in-person interview, or who is being issued evidence of an immigration benefit at a local USCIS office, will undergo the standard airport-like security screening and be asked to undergo the fingerprint scan and have a photo taken in order to verify identity. Verification should be immediate, but there have been reports that this system is causing delays at some field offices.
The additional CIV verification is not required for individuals who appear at local USCIS offices for InfoPass appointments. It is also not required for individuals, such as lawyers and translators, who accompany others to immigration interviews.
New I-94 procedure at the border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced
the implementation of a new procedure that will take the
place of the physical I-94 card you currently receive at the
border or place of entry. Instead of receiving a physical card,
the arrival/departure process is now automated. Foreign
nationals will now only receive an entry (or admission)
stamp in their passport, which will include the entry date,
class of admission (or status) and the expiration date. You
can now print your I-94 in an electronic format at www.
cbp.gov/I94.
Beware of scams
Immigration reform is alive in Congress, but it is too
soon to tell if and when legislation will pass. In the meantime,
immigrants are already being targeted by “notaries”
and “agents” and even unscrupulous attorneys to pay
fees to start paperwork in anticipation of a new law. Some
states, such as California, are already passing laws barring
anyone from collecting fees for any immigration-reform-related
cases, before the reform actually passes.
The immigration issue is near the top of President Obama’s second-term agenda, and although pro-immigration rallies have been gaining force around the country, the issue remains stalled in Congress. Stay tuned to Khabar for reform updates in the upcoming months, when Congress will revisit the debate.
VISA PREFERENCE NUMBERS FOR October 2013
|
FAMILY |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
01Oct06 |
01Oct06 |
|
2A |
08Sep13 |
08Sep13 |
|
2B |
01Mar06 |
01Mar06 |
|
3rd |
22Jan03 |
22Jan03 |
|
4th |
08Aug01 |
08Aug01 |
|
EMPLOYMENT |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
Current |
Current |
|
2nd |
15Jun08 |
Current |
|
3rd |
22Sep03 |
01Jul10 |
|
Other |
22Sep03 |
01Jul10 |
|
4th |
Current |
Current |
|
5th |
Current |
Current1B |
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