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I-751 Removal of Conditions: Why is it taking so long?

Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence is a form that must be filed by conditional permanent residents to remove their conditions and receive the ten-year permanent resident card. Previously, USCIS was taking approximately 7 months to adjudicate the removal of conditions application and would issue receipt notices automatically…

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USCIS Releases Revised Policy Providing Interview Waiver Guidance for Form I-751

On November 30, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that provides guidance to USCIS officers on waiving the interview requirement for Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This memo went into effect on December 10 and applies to all Form I-751…

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USCIS Extends Validity Period of I-693 Report of Medical Examination

Good News for Adjustment of Status Applicants! The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating its policy, extending the validity of Form I-693 Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, submitted along with an application for an immigration benefit (such as an I-485 Application for Adjustment of Status).…

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USCIS Planning to Gradually Eliminate Self-Scheduled Infopass Appointments

As part of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) new plan to modernize services offered by the agency, the agency has announced that it will gradually end self-scheduling of Infopass appointments, to encourage applicants to use online information resources and other online tools that allow applicants to check…

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NTA Policy Memo to be Implemented Beginning October 1st for I-485 and I-539s

Several months ago, we reported that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) amended its policy regarding the issuance of Notice to Appear (NTA) documents in removal proceedings. During the month of June, USCIS released a policy memorandum indicating the agency’s intent to revise NTA policy to better align…

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DHS Proposes New Rule to Restrict Admission of Aliens Reliant on Public Benefits

On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new proposed rule that may prevent non-citizens reliant, or likely to become reliant on public benefits, from gaining admission to the United States.  The new proposal entitled, “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” has been signed by the Secretary…

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Upcoming Visa Trends and Projections: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5

In this post, we would like to keep our readers informed about Visa Bulletin projections for the coming months. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division of the U.S. Department of State provides a monthly analysis of each month’s Visa Bulletin including discussion of current trends and…

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Tips to Avoid/Overcome the Marriage Fraud Interview also known as the “STOKES” Interview

In this post, we will discuss our top ten tips to help you survive the marriage fraud interview also known as the “STOKES” interview. An applicant filing for adjustment of status to permanent residence may be scheduled for a second interview, known as the “STOKES” interview if the immigration officer…

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Denaturalization Task Force Coming Next Year

Beginning next year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will launch a task force located in Los Angeles, designed to identify, detect, and prosecute individuals who have fraudulently gained United States Citizenship, for example by entering into a ‘sham’ marriage to obtain permanent residence, or engaging in other…

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Preparing Bona Fides for the I-485 Marriage Interview

If you have applied for the I-130/485 based on marriage to your US Citizen spouse, chances are you are anxiously awaiting an interview. In this post we will cover the documentation you need to provide at the I-485 interview to prove the bona fides of your relationship. The most common…