Fee Payment Changes at Two USCIS Los Angeles Field Offices

On Nov. 5, 2018, applicants, petitioners, or other requesters who are paying a filing fee at the Los Angeles Field Office and Los Angeles County Field Office will no longer be able to pay by money orders or cashier’s checks. They can still pay by check, debit card, credit card, or reloadable pre-paid credit or debit cards, which USCIS personnel will process through a new electronic system. USCIS is launching a pilot at these two field offices to test electronic payment processing, which will increase transaction security and reduce processing errors that could cause USCIS to reject applications and petitions. Beyond limiting the kind of payment USCIS will accept through this new system, applicants will not experience a change in how they pay their fees.

This internal transition is part of USCIS’ ongoing efforts to modernize its business practices, allowing USCIS fiel

USCIS to Expand Information Services Modernization Program to Key Locations

Program provides operational efficiencies, improves delivery of services

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will expand its Information Services Modernization Program to key field offices, beginning with the Detroit Field Office and the five offices in the Los Angeles District on Nov. 13. Field offices in the Newark, Great Lakes, and San Francisco districts will implement the program during the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2019. USCIS anticipates expanding the program to all remaining field offices by the end of FY 2019.

The Information Services Modernization Program ends self-scheduling of InfoPass appointments and instead encourages applicants to use USCIS online information resources to view general how-to information and check case statuses through the USCIS Contact Center. Recen

USCIS Efforts Lead to Guilty Plea in Case of Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law

COLUMBIA, S.C.—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  helped initiate an investigation that led to charges and guilty pleas from Veronica Perdomo, 43, for fraudulently practicing immigration law and impersonating an immigration officer.

The plea included two counts of Wire Fraud, each of which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison; four counts of Impersonating an Officer or Employee of the United States, each such count carrying a sentence of up to 3 years in prison, and twelve counts of Fraudulently Affixing the Seal of an Agency of the United States to a Document, each such count carrying a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.  Sentencing will occur after the preparation of a presentence report by the United States Probation Office.

A USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) immigration officer in Charl

USCIS Continuing Form I-751 Data Entry

USCIS has completed receipting and data entry for all filings of Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, received between May 1 and Sept. 9, 2018. Petitioners should receive receipt notices by Oct. 22, 2018.

On June 13, 2018, USCIS announced that the California Service Center (CSC) was experiencing a delay in initial data entry for Form I-751. After changing the filing location for Form I-751 from the USCIS Service Centers to the USCIS Lockbox facilities in September, USCIS completed receipting and data entry of these petitions on Oct. 1.

If you submitted a Form I-751 to the CSC between May 1 and Sept. 9, 2018, and you have not received a receipt notice, do not file a duplicate Form I-751 unless you have re

Three Nigerian Nationals Living in Grambling and Texas Plead Guilty to Roles in Marriage Fraud Scheme

Release Date: Oct. 17, 2018

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that three Nigerian nationals living in Grambling and Texas have pleaded guilty Monday to roles in a scheme aimed at obtaining permanent residency illegally.

Adebisi Philip Bode Adejumo, 34, a Grambling, La., resident and Nigerian citizen; Godspower Raphael Sobaeh, 31, a Fort Worth, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen; and Olabode Ebenezer Olubodun, 37, a Houston, Texas, resident and Nigerian citizen, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with immigration documents. Adejumo also pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements in connection with immigration documents, Sobaeh t

USCIS Reissues Receipt Notices for Extensions of Conditional Permanent Resident Status

On Oct. 16, 2018, USCIS began issuing new receipt notices for certain Forms I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, to replace previously issued receipt notices containing inaccurate information.  

In August 2018, USCIS issued receipt notices for certain pending Form I-751 petitions to extend conditional permanent resident (CPR) status from 12 months to 18 months. These receipt notices were issued to provide an additional six months of CPR status to the I-751 petitioners while they continue to wait for their petition to be adjudicated. Some of the receipt notices contained incorrect information that does not affect the extension of the of the CPR status.

Petitioners who received incorrect receipt notices will receive corrected ones shortly. If you have not received a corrected receipt notice by Nov. 15, 2018, please reach out to the <a target='_bl

USCIS Policy Manual Update

USCIS is revising policy guidance for the validity period of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.

The updated policy, which goes into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, will require applicants to submit a Form I-693 that is signed by a civil surgeon no more than 60 days before filing the underlying application for an immigration benefit. The Form I-693 would remain valid for a two-year period following the date the civil surgeon signed it. As such, USCIS is retaining the current maximum two-year validity period of Form I-693, but calculating it in a different manner to both enhance operational efficiencies and reduce the number of requests to applicants for an updated Form I-693.

USCIS officers use Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, to determine whethe

Visa Bulletin December 2018 Predictions

For official November 2018 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2018/visa-bulletin-november-2018.aspx

Please see December 2018 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based):

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	01JUL11	01JUL11	01JUL11	08SEP97	22MAR07
F2A	08OCT16	08OCT16	08OCT16	01OCT16	08OCT16
F2B	01FEB12	01FEB12	01FEB12	01JUL97	15JUN07
F3	01AUG06	01AUG06	01AUG06	08JAN96	01JUL95
F4	15APR05	15APR05	22JUN04	15FEB98	15JUL95

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08MAY12	08MAY12	08MAY12	08DEC98	01MAR08
F2A	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18
F2B	08JUN14	08JUN14	08JUN14	08JUL97	22DEC07
F3	08FEB07	08FEB07	08FEB07	01APR99	01AUG97
F4	15JUN05	15JUN05	15JAN05	01JUL98	08MAY96

Construction Begins on New Home for the USCIS Texas Service Center

Facility Will Centralize Operations, Improve Effectiveness and Efficiency

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), General Services Administration (GSA) and federal contractor Trammell Crow Company and Gensler broke ground today on the future home of the Texas Service Center (TSC) at the northwest corner of President George Bush Turnpike and Beltline Road in Irving, Texas, near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

“This facility will improve our agency’s operational effectiveness, employee morale, and our administration of the nation’s lawful immigration system,” said USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. “USCIS is committed to fairly and accurately assessing each immigration benefit request in accordance with the rule of law. The new home of the Texas Se

Visa Bulletin November 2018

For October 2018 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2018/visa-bulletin-october-2018.aspx

For analysis of November 2018 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2018/visa-bulletin-analysis-november-2018.aspx

November 2018 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from November 1 to November 30 only). Please see below for more details.

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	22JUN11	22JUN11	22JUN11	01AUG97	01FEB07
F2A	15SEP16	15SEP16	15SEP16	01SEP16	15SEP16
F2B	01JAN12	01JAN12	01JAN12	08JUN97	01JUN07
F3	08JUL06	08JUL06	08JUL06	22DEC95	22JUN95
F4	22MAR05	22MAR05	01JUN04	08FEB98	15JUN95

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08MAR12	08MAR12	08MAR12	08OCT98	15FEB08
F2A	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17
F2B	22MAR14	22MAR14	22MAR14	22JUN97	15DEC07
F3	08JAN07	08JAN07	08JAN07	22DEC98	01JUN97
F4	01JUN05	01JUN05	01JAN05	22JUN98	08APR96

November 2018 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For November 2018 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2018/visa-bulletin-november-2018.aspx

Please see below analysis of November 2018 Visa Bulletin:

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	+21 Days	+21 Days	+21 Days	No Change	+1 Month 10 Days
F2A	+24 Days	+24 Days	+24 Days	+1 Month	+24 Days
F2B	+1 Month 9 Days	+1 Month 9 Days	+1 Month 9 Days	+24 Days	+17 Days
F3	+23 Days	+23 Days	+23 Days	No Change	+14 Days
F4	+1 Month 7 Days	+1 Month 7 Days	+1 Month	+17 Days	+7 Days

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2A	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2B	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F3	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F4	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. (Eastern).

During this time, our online tools may be unavailable, including:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• FOIA Status Check
• Office Locator
• Forms by Mail

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

USCIS Using Tablets to Administer the English Reading and Writing Tests for Naturalization

On Oct. 1, USCIS began using digital tablets to administer the English reading and writing tests during naturalization interviews as part of the agency’s ongoing business modernization efforts. Although USCIS applicants already use digital tablets to sign or verify parts of their applications, this new approach expands tablet usage, allowing the device to be used for a greater portion of the application process. USCIS will be able to continue using the paper process on a case-by-case basis.

While the eligibility requirements and the subject material of the naturalization test have not changed, applicants are now using a stylus on a digital tablet instead of a paper application. Immigration Services Officers (ISO) will carefully instruct applicants on how to use the tablets before administering the tests:

• For the reading test, a sentence will appear on

USCIS Provides Guidance for Implementing New Law Related to Foreign Workers on Guam, Northern Mariana Islands

USCIS has published a policy memorandum (PDF, 108 KB) providing guidance on the implementation of section 1045 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (the FY 2019 NDAA), which allows certain H-2B workers on Guam and in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to qualify for an exemption to the “temporary need” requirement if they begin employment on or before Dec. 30, 2023.

USCIS is accepting H-2B petitions filed pursuant to the NDAA provision that exempts the temporary need re

USCIS Assisted in Case Leading to Guilty Plea of Former Long Island Catering Hall Owner Charged with Forced Labor

Defendant Threatened Filipino Nationals Working at the Thatched Cottage with Deportation

Release Date: Sept. 27, 2018

NEW YORK – In Central Islip, New York, Ralph Colamussi pled guilty in federal court Wednesday before United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley, to forced labor of employees at the Thatched Cottage, a catering and wedding venue in Centerport, New York.  When sentenced, Colamussi faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as restitution and a fine of up to $250,000.

Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of N.Y.; Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), N.Y.; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Inspector General, N.Y.; and Thomas M. Cioppa, D

F-1 “Cap-gap” Status and Work Authorization Extension Only Valid Through Sept. 30, 2018

F-1 students who have an H-1B petition that remains pending on Oct. 1, 2018, risk accruing unlawful presence if they continue to work on or after Oct. 1 (unless otherwise authorized to continue employment), as their “cap-gap” work authorization is only valid through Sept. 30. Due to increased demand for immigration benefits, resulting in higher caseloads as well as a significant surge in premium processing requests, USCIS may not be able to adjudicate H-1B change of status petitions for all F-1 students by Oct. 1.

USCIS regulations allow an F-1 student who is the beneficiary of a timely filed H-1B cap-subject petition requesting a change of status to H-1B on Oct. 1, to have his or her F-1 status and any current employment authorization exten

Proposed I-912 Fee Waiver Form Revision

USCIS is proposing to revise our Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, to remove the receipt of means-tested benefits from the eligibility criteria. A means-tested benefit is a public benefit where eligibility for the benefit, the amount of the benefit, or both, is based on an individual’s income level. Eligibility for these benefits can vary from state to state, depending on the state’s income level guidelines.  As a result, individuals who would not otherwise qualify under the poverty-guideline threshold and financial hardship criteria have been granted fee waivers by USCIS. The public can review the notice (PDF) today and it will post in the <a target='_blank' href="https://www.federalregiste