Monthly Archives: August 2012
Distance Learning / Online Course Policy for F-1 International Student
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DISTANCE LEARNING / ON-LINE COURSE POLICY The Department of Homeland Security requires F-1 students to maintain a full course of study and that the course of study must lead to the attainment of a specific educational or professional objective. A full course of study is defined as: 12 credit hours for undergraduate and 8 […]
Information on Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI)
The MAVNI program is temporarily on hold, but you can go to the US Army website to fill out the form to request the information about MAVNI program. The information you provide will be screened and your eligibility for the program will be tentatively determined and sent to a Recruiter. The Defense Department has authorized the […]
10,000 U Visas Approved in Fiscal Year 2012
U Visa Protects Victims of Crime and Strengthens Law Enforcement Efforts WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Aug. 21, 2012 marked a significant milestone in its efforts to provide relief to victims of crimes by approving the statutory maximum 10,000 petitions for U nonimmigrant status, also referred to as the U-visa. This is the third straight […]
EB-5 in Hotel/Resort Development and Acquiring Real Estate
On June 22, 2012, USCIS hosted a public engagement featuring two economists who work on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. Following that engamgnet, some stakeholders sought clarification as to certain points raised by the economists. Here are the clarification as two of the primary questions raised. EB-5 Projects Involving Hotel or Resort Development When an EB-5 project […]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Plan to Eliminate Form I-94
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced plans to eliminate Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Given the central role of Form I-94 in documenting proper admission and maintenance of status, the impact of its elimination on the immigration process and ancillary benefits programs may be profound. Regrettably, there remain as many questions as answers about […]
Details on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
CONFIRMED by stakeholder meeting with USCIS. The new form for Deferred Action (Dream Act) is I-821-D and I-765 (work permit application) and I-765 worksheet (specifically for deferred actin youth). USCIS has developed a rigorous review process for deferred action requests under guidelines issued by Secretary Napolitano,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “Childhood arrivals who meet […]
USCIS Centralized Filing for Waivers of Inadmissibility
Since June 4, 2012, individuals outside the U.S. who have been found inadmissible for certain visas by a U.S. consular officer and seek to waive an inadmissibility ground should no longer apply for a waiver at their foreign location, but should file requests directly to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by mailing the application […]
ICE Refuses FOIA Request on Immigration Court Filings
On August 7, 2012 the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) sent the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a letter responding to the agency’s July 26 FOIA refusal to process TRAC’s request for case-by-case information in anonymous form on the 75,044 Notices to Appear (NTAs) the agency had filed in the Immigration Courts during the first […]
What is The Child Citizenship Act (CCA)?
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) was signed into law on October 30, 2000 to permit foreign-born children (including adopted children) to acquire citizenship automatically if they meet the requirements: The child has at least one United States citizen parent (by birth or naturalization) The child is under 18 years of age The child […]
JCS U.S. Immigration & Visa Law Office 