Recommendations for Paper Filings to Avoid Scanning Delays

As we move toward an increasing electronic environment, we now scan and upload many documents into electronic database systems. To avoid delays and improve scanning efficiency, we recommend that you do not:

• Hole punch, staple, paper clip, binder clip, or otherwise attach documents to one another.

• Include photos or documents smaller than 4x6 inches for evidentiary purposes. Provide photocopies of these items instead. The only exception is when we request a passport photo with the filing.

• Include anything that contains electronic chips and batteries (such as musical greeting cards) or any non-paper materials such as cassette tapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, toys, action figures, or thumb drives. We will not accept these types of materials. However, we will accept photographs or photocopies of these items.

Read more at: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/recommendations-for-paper-filings-to-avoid-scanning-delays

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

DHS Continues Temporary Protected Status and Related Documentation for Certain Beneficiaries of TPS

On Nov. 10, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a Federal Register Notice announcing the continuation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and certain related documents for beneficiaries under the TPS designations that remain subject to the court orders in the Ramos et al. v. Nielsen and Bhattarai et al. v. Nielsen et al. lawsuits.

TPS beneficiaries under the designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, as well as the 2011 Haiti designation and the 2013 Sudan designation will retain their TPS while the preliminary injunction in Ramos and the stay of proceedings order in Bhattarai remain in effect, provided they continue to meet all the individual requirements for TPS eligibility. The automatic extension of TPS-related documentation includes specified Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) through June 30, 2024.

Read more at: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/dhs-continues-temporary-protected-status-and-related-documentation-for-certain-beneficiaries-of-tps

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

New Processing Time Method for Orphan and Hague Applications and Petitions

Starting in mid-November, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will change how we calculate processing times for orphan and Hague cases. These changes provide stakeholders better information about the total time it may take to receive a decision on their application or petition and are consistent with an agency-wide shift in how processing times for other cases are calculated. Most importantly, USCIS remains committed to processing intercountry adoption cases as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Read more at: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/new-processing-time-method-for-orphan-and-hague-applications-and-petitions

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.