Articles Posted in Immigration News

On Wednesday, February 9th, the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Ur M. Jaddou announced in a news release that they had created a new mission statement for the agency. The Director stated, “USCIS is committed to ensuring that the immigration system we administer is accessible and humane. As we look towards the future, my commitment will remain the same – USCIS will continue to serve the public with respect and fairness, and lead with integrity to reflect America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility today and for generations to come.”

The new USCIS mission statement: “USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve.”

Review the USCIS News Release for more details: USCIS Announces New Agency Mission Statement

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published their semiannual regulatory agenda in the Federal Register. This Addenda summarizes the inventory of rulemaking actions under development. 

 
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Office of the Secretary 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published their semiannual regulatory agenda in the Federal Register. This Addenda summarizes projected regulations, existing regulations, and completed actions by the DHS and its components. 

 
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Office of the Secretary 

Jose Diaz-Balart from MSNBC Reports hosted an interview with AILA President Allen Orr. He explained how he feels they can reduce the record backlog at the immigration courts! Mr. Orr stated, “This administration has the power to fix it, the same way we do in criminal court,”. There are over 1.5 million immigration cases pending in the U.S. 

MSNBC Reports Video: U.S. immigration court faces biggest backlog ever, with 1.5M cases pending 

 
Source of Information: 

After first year of the Biden Administration, the USCIS has released a list of their accomplishments for the FY (Fiscal Year) 2021! Ur M. Jaddou, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated, “I’m immensely proud of the USCIS workforce and for their achievements in a year of many challenges and rebuilding. From responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing processing delays to enacting numerous operational and policy changes in response to executive orders from the Biden-Harris Administration, FY 2021 marks a year of growth and renewed vision for our agency,”. 

The following areas of improvement discussed include: Fiscal Health, Temporary Flexibilities in Response to COVID-19, Employment-Based Adjustments, Processing Delays, and others!

Review the USCIS News Release for more information: USCIS Announces FY 2021 Accomplishments

Updates: AILA – ICYMI: USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests until 3/26/22

USCIS announced on Friday, September 24th, that they were extending the flexibilities that they originally announced on March 30, 2020. These flexibilities are for responding to certain requests from the USCIS, some are listed below:

• Requests for Evidence;

The American Immigration Council (AIC) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) are inviting interested participants to join a free webinar hosted by their own experts! The subject will be a discussion of the Biden Administration’s first year Immigration record and what is next for his second term. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 19th between 10:00am and 11:00am EST. 

 
To register just fill out the online form linked below: 

One Year In: President Biden’s Track Record on Immigration! 

Because of natural disasters like what has just taken place in Kentucky with the high winds and nighttime tornados, the USCIS would like to remind the public that they offer immigration services that may help people living in these disaster areas. There are many unforeseen circumstances, not just natural disasters they can help with involving immigration! 

*Here are some of the following actions that may be available upon request (case-by-case basis): 

• Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States. Failure to apply for the extension or change before expiration of your authorized period of admission may be excused if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control;