Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status

Alert Type info

News release originally published by the Department of Homeland Security.

USCIS Celebrates Independence Day 2024 and Continues Its Commitment to Naturalization

WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will celebrate Independence Day this year by welcoming approximately 11,000 new citizens in more than 195 naturalization ceremonies between June 28 and July 5. These ceremonies demonstrate our government's commitment to welcoming immigrants and promoting the benefits of U.S. citizenship for all who are eligible. In fiscal year 2023, USCIS welcomed 878,500 new U.S. citizens. So far in FY 2024, USCIS has welcomed 589,400 new citizens and made significant progress in reducing our naturalization pending queues. 

"At USCIS we are privileged to administer the Oath of Allegiance to thousands of new citizens during the Independence Day holiday," said USCIS Director Ur M. Ja

USCIS Extends Employment Authorization Documents under Temporary Protected Status Designations of El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan

We are extending the validity of certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries under the designations of El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan through March 9, 2025. We will send a Form I-797, Notice of Action, notifying you if you are affected by this extension.

If you are a current TPS beneficiary under one of these designations, and you have not yet re-registered for TPS under the

USCIS Clarifies Guidance About How to Adopt a Child under the Hague Adoption Convention

Effective June 14, 2024, we have updated the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 5, Part D, to clarify how prospective adoptive parents can adopt a child under the Hague Adoption Convention.

This update (PDF, 324.66 KB) consolidates and clarifies existing guidance to provide clear requirements for the Hague process. The update:

• Explains how a foreign-born child may be eligible to be adopted through the Ha

USCIS Issues Policy Guidance on Customer Service and Confidentiality Protections for Certain Naturalized U.S. Citizens

USCIS is issuing  guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual that interprets that the confidentiality protections under 8 U.S.C. 1367 end at naturalization, which will allow naturalized U.S. citizens previously protected under 8 U.S.C. 1367 (specifically, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitioners and those seeking or with approved T and U nonimmigrant status) the ability to fully access e-filing and other customer service tools.

This guidance is responsive to requests from naturalized citizens and other stakeholders, and it provides these U.S. citizens with increased access to customer service tools, helping to eliminate barriers to case processing and improving USCIS response times for certain in

Visa Bulletin August 2024 Predictions

For official July 2024 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-july-2024.aspx

Please see August 2024 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based categories for all countries):

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	15NOV15	15NOV15	15NOV15	08JUN02	22APR12
F2A	01APR22	01APR22	01APR22	01JUL21	01APR22
F2B	22MAY16	22MAY16	22MAY16	15OCT04	01DEC11
F3	08MAY10	08MAY10	08MAY10	08MAY00	15SEP02
F4	08AUG07	08AUG07	01FEB06	22FEB01	22MAR04

"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	01NOV17	01NOV17	01NOV17	15APR05	08JUN15
F2A	22NOV23	22NOV23	22NOV23	01DEC23	22NOV23
F2B	15FEB17	15FEB17	15FEB17	22MAY05	08NOV13
F3	22OCT10	22OCT10	22OCT10	22JUN01	01DEC03
F4	22MAR08	22MAR08	22JUN06	22MAY01	01JUN06

USCIS Issues Guidance on In-Person Filing for Certain SIJ Petitioners

We are updating the USCIS Policy Manual (PDF, 313.17 KB) to clarify how certain petitioners for special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) classification (or their representatives) may file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widower, or Special Immigrant. If you are an SIJ petitioner with less than two weeks before your 21st birthday, you may file Form I-360 in person at a USCIS field office, instead of filing by mail. Contact the <a target

USCIS Shifts Workload for Form I-730 Following-to-Join Refugee Petitions

Effective May 6, 2024, all Forms I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, filed for following to join refugees (FTJ-R) are being processed at the USCIS International Operations Division rather than the Asylum Vetting Center. Any pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions filed by refugee petitioners will be automatically transferred from the Asylum Vetting Center to USCIS International Operations. We shifted this workload to better serve Form I-730 petitioners and beneficiaries by establishing a dedicated team with primary responsibility for initial domestic processing of FTJ-R petitions. This will help us process this critical family reunification program more efficiently.

If you have a pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petition, we wi

USCIS Updates Guidance for Family-Based Immigrant Visas

Effective May 22, 2024, we are updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on family-based immigrant visa petitions (including Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative and, in limited situations, family-based Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant), including explaining how we handle correcting approval notice errors,

USCIS Announces New FY 2024 Funding Opportunity Under the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the opening of the application period for the Citizenship and Integration Training Academy (CITA), a new funding opportunity under the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. CITA, a technical assistance grant, will provide up to $2.6 million in competitive funding to public or nonprofit organizations that have not received previous grant funding from USCIS. Through this grant opportunity, USCIS will provide funding and rigorous training to enable organizations to establish new high-quality citizenship programs.  

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July 2024 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For July 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-july-2024.aspx

Please see below analysis of July 2024 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	+3 Months 14 Days	+3 Months 14 Days	+3 Months 14 Days	+4 Months 7 Days	No Change
F2A	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2B	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	No Change	No Change
F3	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+3 Months	+17 Days
F4	+10 Days	+10 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	+2 Months

"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	+2 Months	+2 Months	+2 Months	+2 Months	+2 Months
F2B	No Change	No Change	No Change	+6 Months	No Change
F3	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	No Change	No Change
F4	No Change	No Change	No Change	+1 Day	+10 Months

July 2024 Visa Bulletin

For June 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-june-2024.aspx

For analysis of July 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-analysis-july-2024.aspx

July 2024 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from July 1 to July 31 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	22OCT15	22OCT15	22OCT15	08MAY02	01MAR12
F2A	15NOV21	15NOV21	15NOV21	01FEB21	15NOV21
F2B	01MAY16	01MAY16	01MAY16	08JUL04	22OCT11
F3	01APR10	01APR10	01APR10	01MAR00	08SEP02
F4	01AUG07	01AUG07	22JAN06	08FEB01	01FEB04

"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	01SEP17	01SEP17	01SEP17	01APR05	22APR15
F2A	01NOV23	01NOV23	01NOV23	01NOV23	01NOV23
F2B	01JAN17	01JAN17	01JAN17	01MAY05	01OCT13
F3	01OCT10	01OCT10	01OCT10	15JUN01	08NOV03
F4	01MAR08	01MAR08	15JUN06	28APR01	01APR06

USCIS Opens Additional San Francisco Asylum Office Location

USCIS' San Francisco Asylum Office is opening an additional temporary location in Oakland, California. Effective May 15, 2024, asylum applicants under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Asylum Office may receive an interview notice to appear at the asylum office located in Oakland instead of San Francisco. This additional location increases the San Francisco Asylum Office's capacity to schedule and conduct affirmative asylum interviews more efficiently.

The addresses of the new temporary Oakland-based office within the San Francisco Asylum Office's jurisdiction are:

Physical Address:

1301 Clay Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 77530
San Francisco, CA 94107

Opening this additional location will not affect the operations of the current asylum office location in San Francisco. Beginning May 15