NY VISA LAWYER

Prepare For Your Naturalization Interview The civics portion of the naturalization test is an oral test. The USCIS officer will ask you up to 10 questions from the list of 100 civics test questions. You must answer 6 questions correctly to pass the civics test. Naturalization Civics Test The Government's weird study guide for the test that they call " A More Perfect Union ."  All 100 Civics Questions in English  All 100 questions in Spanish  100 Preguntas y Respuestas de Educación Cívica All 100 questions in Chinese 100題公民問題和答案 *You will have to take the test in English unless you qualify for an exemption . (or the 65/20 special considerations which use these questions ).  *You can apply for a medical disability exemption by filing this Form N-648 WITH your N-400 application.  Other Sites I'd note that these practice tests are easy to access and seem to be accurate from wheat I've seen, but, they are not from the official USCIS.gov website or any other U....

Senators voted 50-47 to overturn the rule , with two Democrats joining all of the chamber's Republicans. The Senate passed a measure Wednesday to cancel a Biden administration immigration rule that scaled back the number of benefits that would be counted against immigrants when applying for permanent residency in the United States.  According to the current rule, immigration officers would look at “the receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or long-term institutionalization at government expense” in an effort to evaluate if a person would become a “public charge” who is ineligible to become a permanent resident.

  As of May 12, 2023, the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement has been updated. See below for details from the CDC. Top of Page COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement The applicant must receive one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if a dose is due at the time of the exam according to current  CDC guidance . Now, like other vaccine requirements, additional doses are no longer required, and applicants do not have to postpone completion of the exam to complete the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Applicants who have completed any approved* primary COVID-19 series prior to the exam require no additional COVID-19 doses for immigration. Those who have not should receive a bivalent vaccine according to current  CDC guidance . For applicants who have received one or more doses but have not completed the primary series and are not yet due for the next dose in the series at the time of the exam, use the “Insufficient time interval between doses” blanket waiver. As with other vaccinations...

 

Naturalization Test Redesign Friday, April 28, 2023 | 2-3 p.m. Eastern U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is holding a "national engagement" on Friday , April 28 , 2023 , from 2 - 3 p.m. Eastern , to allow people to, "learn more about the nationwide trial tests for the naturalization test redesign initiative." This is according to an email sent out by USCIS on April 11, 2023. 

  New Process Allows Special Immigrant Juveniles to File Form I-360 in Person Before Their 21st Birthday

 As of March 30, 2023, there are new lockbox addresses for the following forms: I-130, Petition for Alien Relative ;  I-131, Application for Travel Document ; I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant ; I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status ; and I-765, Application for Employment Authorization . The Phoenix Lockbox address has been updated too for FedEx, UPS, and DHL only (U.S. Postal Service remains the same).    See USCIS'  Lockbox Filing Locations Updates page for more information. This may affect you if you are filing any of the following: Family-based visa petition Marriage visa Advance Parole Employment Authorization (EAD) SIJS VAWA Petition Adjustment of Status (AOS) / Green Card Application

 USCIS issued a new form ( Form N-426 ) to be used for confirmation of military service for people currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and seek an immigration benefit in connection to their service. TWO CHANGES ANNOUNCED 1. New USCIS Form for applicants who have served in the U.S. armed forces. 2. Changes to questions on the Form N-400 , Application for Naturalization relating to service in the U.S. armed forces, effective March 23, 2023.  USCIS sent out an email and posted this update on the uscis.gov website stating: Effective immediately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  issued the new Form N-426 , Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, and policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual stating that only applicants for naturalization under Section 328 or Section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) who are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces are required to file Form N-426 with their Form N-400 , Application f...

  G-1055, Fee Schedule New USCIS Fee Schedule (Filing Fees) March 15, 2023      Find the official USCIS Fee Schedule on their website at: tinyurl.com/2023USCISFees

Can I Travel Once My U Visa is Approved?  Once you receive the I-918 approval notice indicating you are in U nonimmigrant status, can you can travel outside of the United States? Technically, individuals in U nonimmigrant status are eligible to apply for a U visa  abroad at a U.S. consulate and may be able to use that visa to reenter the United  States after a trip abroad. While theoretically possible, it would not be advisable.  There are also two serious concerns that would arise relating to unlawful presence bars and the continuous physical presence requirements for U nonimmigrants to be able to adjust status and obtain a green card after three years in U status. 

 Waiving visa interviews in the U.S. and at consulates, more H2B visas, and more visas being processed at the consulates by fewer consular officers.  USCIS & DOS claim to be taking major steps to reduce visa wait times in 2023.  They recently announced the following new steps in an "update bulletin" on the @USCISImmigrationUpdates (not official) Youtube channel : USCIS is going to waive visa interviews whenever possible.  Processing more H2B an Student Visas, to help stabilize migration patterns. Processing more visas with fewer consular officers, waiving interviews for those who aren't first time visa applicants when possible. These update videos are NOT posted by USCIS or affiliated with any Government agency. I'm do not know how accurate this is, so do your own research regarding this channel yourself.  https://www.youtube.com/@USIMMIGRATIONUPDATES/about Disclaimer: This channel is not owned by an any US Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. Th...

USCIS Policy Manual updated to calculate CSPA age based on date of filing. Update Posted on the USCIS Website, February 14, 2023. USCIS issued updated guidance regarding when an immigrant visa number “becomes available” for the purpose of calculating a noncitizen’s age under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).  Prior to this, USCIS considered a child’s age “frozen” if a visa number was available under the Final Action Date Chart of the Visa Bulletin at the time the I-485 application was filed. If a visa number was not available under the Final Action Date Chart of the Visa Bulletin, they may still be eligible to file their application for adjustment of status (to obtain a green card)based on the Dates for Filing Chart of the Visa Bulletin. In that scenario, a noncitizen may file their application when the Dates for Filing Chart indicated but ultimately not be eligible because the Final Action Date Chart did not advance sufficiently Under the USCIS Policy Manual as updat...

USCIS sent out an email linking to their new page with this checklist. The USCIS.gov website states: Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-485. It is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your form. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations. You may view the form instructions at uscis.gov/i-485 . If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language to English. There are three different checklists depending on the basis for which the applicant is filing their I-485 appl...

  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent out an email blast today letting everyone know that starting today they will be issuing newly designed Green Cards and Employment Authorization Cards with "state-of-the-art technology to safeguard national security and improve service for...customers." USCIS issued a press release January 30, 2023, regarding the newly designed cards. The new designs for these cards are meant to increase security and reduce fraud, presumably making them more difficult to counterfeit. Images of the new designs were posted by USCIS on their Instagram and Twitter pages. The new design for these cards include several new security features. These features are described to be state-of-the-art technologies to prevent fraud and counterfeiting. The new design features include: Improved detailed artwork; New tactile printing that is better integrated with the artwork; Enhanced optically variable ink; Highly secure holographic images on the fr...

  Is A Cover Letter Required With My Submission to USCIS? USCIS does not require you to submit a cover letter for any immigration benefit or visa application. They are commonly used though for any formal submission and filings with USCIS are no exception. Law firms will always provide a cover letter with a filing as it has many benefits and is also just standard practice. What Is a USCIS Cover Letter ? A cover letter is just a printed letter that helps USCIS officers navigate your application materials. You can place a cover letter at the top of your application, petition, or any other package of documents being submitted. You let the person opening the package know who it is intended for, what is inside, and who sent it making it less likely that it goes to the wrong place or there are other clerical errors. Further, by outlining your reasons for applying and the contents of your application in a cover letter, you give your USCIS officer a useful overview of your case. You can als...

  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that certain asylum applicants can now file  Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , online. This is an important step in USCIS’ efforts to employ technical solutions to streamline and improve processing efficiency and reduce wait times. Effective immediately, applicants for employment authorization under category (c)(8), Pending Asylum and Withholding of Removal Applicants and Applicants for Pending Asylum under the ABC Settlement Agreement, may file Form I-765 online .

  Bona Fide Marriage Exemption Non-citizens who marry U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents while in removal proceedings must show by clear and convincing evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith. See INA § 245(e)(3) . What is commonly called, “the bona fide marriage exemption” must be requested in writing and submitted with Form I-130. See 8 C.F.R. § 204.2(a)(1)(iii)(A) . The request must state the reason for seeking the exemption and must be supported by documentary evidence establishing eligibility for the exemption. You must be prepared to address the bona fide marriage exemption early in your case. It is important that you, the couple, document your relationship thoroughly. Evidence of the relationship will be critical to the removal proceedings and to obtaining approval of the visa petition. USCIS checks social media, publicly accessible websites, and other databases during their review of the application. Please make sure that you are no...