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MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today for this call to discuss the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Priority 2 Designation for Afghan Nationals. This call, as you know, is on background. For reporting purposes, our briefers should be referred to as senior State Department officials. Just for your knowledge, and again, not for […]

Today, the Department of State is announcing a Priority 2 (P-2) designation granting U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) access for certain Afghan nationals and their eligible family members. The U.S. objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan. However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the U.S. government is working to provide certain Afghans, including […]

 In March 2021, USCIS conducted an initial random selection on electronic registrations for the FY 2022 H-1B cap, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The agency determined that it needed to select additional registrations to reach the FY 2022 numerical allocations. On July 28, USCIS selected previously submitted electronic registrations using a random […]

Nearly a decade after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to provide protections to undocumented immigrants brought here as children, Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas struck down the program on July 16, ordering U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to stop issuing […]

Senate Democrats’ supplemental spending bill for Capitol security would also make significant moves to protect Afghan interpreters and refugees as the U.S. military finishes its withdrawal from Afghanistan. The $3.7 billion measure, introduced Monday in response to the Jan. 6 riot, would increase the number of authorized Afghan special immigrant visas from 26,500 to 46,500. […]

Backlogs, processing delays, and revenue shortfalls are nothing new at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency has long suffered from severe structural problems that hurt people who depend on it for work authorization, adjustment of status, naturalization, and many other immigration benefits. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agency operations has […]

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners and requestors who are responding to certain: Requests for Evidence; Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14); Notices of Intent to Deny; Notices of Intent to Revoke; Notices of Intent to […]

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on June 16 that he is restoring a vital lifeline to survivors of gender-based violence, gang violence, and violence on account of family relationships. Garland issued two decisions overruling Trump-era Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr’s rulings disqualify many such individuals from asylum in the United States. Garland’s rulings […]

Thousands of winners of the annual visa lottery sued the Biden administration, saying its policies have brought diversity visa processing to a standstill, negatively affecting their chance to live in the U.S. In a complaint filed Monday, roughly 24,000 lottery winners and their families accused President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken and two State Dept. […]

 USCIS will offer lockbox filing flexibilities to provide relief to certain applicants and petitioners impacted by delays at a USCIS lockbox. These flexibilities only apply to benefit requests submitted to a USCIS lockbox and not to USCIS service centers or field offices. Applicants and petitioners can contact the agency to verify previously filed benefit requests have not […]