TPS Extended for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal
The announcement that DHS is extending temporary protected status designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal provides a sigh of relief for the almost 400,000 people currently under TPS. The automatic extension of TPS-related documentation includes employment authorization through December 31, 2022. Reports indicate that almost one-third of people with TPS can be classified as “essential workers” and are providing support during the nation’s COVID-19 crisis. In addition to saving lives, TPS recipients are undoubtedly an indispensable factor in the economic success and stability of the United States.
In the weeks coming, we will be watching to see whether Congress can pass reform that would provide additional protection to TPS recipients and others. Stay tuned!
Read below for more on this and the other immigration news of the day.
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Here is the Immigration News You NEED to Know Now
UP-TO-DATE IMMIGRATION NEWS
DHS Continues TPS Designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal – DHS announced the automatic extension of temporary protected status designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal. The automatic extension of TPS-related documentation includes EADs through December 31, 2022.
USCIS Is Expediting Afghan Petitions, Observers Say– According to anecdotal reports, USCIS has issued instructions to pull all files for Afghan nationals and expedite them, including backlogged petitions.
USCIS Extends Evidence of Status for Conditional Permanent Residents to 24 Months With Pending Form I-751 or I-829 – USCIS is extending the time during which receipt notices can be used to show evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status.
DHS Increases Investment and Revenue Amount Requirements for International Entrepreneur Program – Effective October 1, 2021, DHS is increasing investment and revenue amount requirements for the international entrepreneur program.
House Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes Immigration Provisions – The proposed House of Representatives’ budget reconciliation bill includes language that would allow eligible persons to pay a fee to be exempted from numerical limits, among other provisions
For details on these news briefs,click here!
New Publications and Items of Interest
New E-Verify feature. A new E-Verify feature, myUploads, allows employees to upload required documents in JPEG, PNG, or PDF formats to help resolve Tentative Nonconfirmations (TNCs). Employees can access their myE-Verify accounts by logging into their USCIS online accounts and uploading the requested documents. They can still use fax or mail to submit documents if they prefer. The employer should provide the Further Action Notice (FAN) to the affected employee, discuss the TNC privately with the employee, and allow the employee to decide whether he or she will contest the TNC. The FAN includes the steps for using myUploads to help resolve a DHS TNC. Once uploaded, the employee must call the number on the FAN to resolve the case.https://myeverify.uscis.gov/
New SAVE features. Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is enhancing its case search capabilities, including improved usability through a search bar and other features, and a more robust case search engine. SAVE will notify users by email at least three weeks before the go-live date for enhancements. https://save.uscis.gov/web/
COVID-19 resources. The response of the U.S. immigration agencies to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is constantly evolving, making it difficult to report relevant, up-to-date information. The list of online resources below is intended to serve as a quick reference to the most current available agency information.
COVID-19 resources.The response of the U.S. immigration agencies to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is constantly evolving, making it difficult to report relevant, up-to-date information. The list of online resources below is intended to serve as a quick reference to the most current available agency information.
General Information
- Coronavirus.gov: Primary federal site for general coronavirus information
- USA.gov/coronavirus: Catalog of U.S. government’s response to coronavirus
- CDC.gov/coronavirus: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information
· American Immigration Lawyers Association: https://www.aila.org/advo-
Immigration Agency Information
Department of Homeland Security:DHS.gov/coronavirus
- USCIS: https://www.USCIS.gov/
coronavirus - ICE:
– Overview and FAQs:https://www.ice.gov/
– Requirements for ICE Detention Facilities: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/
- CBP:
– Updates and Announcements:https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/
– Accessing I-94 Information: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/
Department of Labor:
- Office of Foreign Labor Certification:
– OFLC Announcements (COVID-19 announcements included here): https://www.foreignlaborcert.
– COVID-19 FAQs:
§ Round 1 (Mar. 20, 2020): https://www.foreignlaborcert.
§ Round 2 (Apr. 1, 2020):https://www.foreignlaborcert.
§ Round 3 (Apr. 9, 2020):https://www.foreignlaborcert.
State Department:https://www.state.gov/
- Travel advisories: https://travel.state.gov/
content/travel/en/ traveladvisories/ea/covid-19- information.html - Country-specific information: https://travel.state.gov/
content/travel/en/ traveladvisories/COVID-19- Country-Specific-Information. html - J-1 exchange visitor information: https://j1visa.state.gov/
covid-19/
Justice Department
- Executive Office for Immigration Review: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/
eoir-operational-status- during-coronavirus-
Agency Twitter Accounts
· EOIR: @DOJ_EOIR
· ICE: @ICEgov
· Study in the States: @StudyinStates
· USCIS: @USCIS
Immigrant and employee rights webinars. The Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER), of the Civil Rights Division, is offering a number of free webinars for workers, employers, and advocates. For more information, see https://www.justice.gov/crt/
E-Verify webinar schedule. E-Verify has released its calendar of webinars at https://www.e-verify.gov/
Government Agency Links
Follow these links to access current processing times of the USCIS Service Centers and the Department of Labor, and the Department of State’s latest Visa Bulletin with the most recent cut-off dates for visa numbers:
USCIS Service Center processing times online: https://egov.uscis.gov/
Department of State Visa Bulletin:
Visa application wait times for any post:https://travel.state.gov/
Kuck Baxter Immigration — In The News
Charles Kuck was quoted by CNN in “Labor Shortages Expected to Continue as Employers Struggle With Visa Bureaucracy and Covid.” Mr. Kuck said, “Our immigration system is so outdated and so unresponsive to the needs of the 21st century, it’s literally doing economic damage to our country. I think employers are realizing, ‘I’m not going to get these people back.’ ” The article also discusses the H-2B visa, for which the fiscal year cap stands at 66,000, with 33,000 for workers starting employment October 1 to March 31, and 33,000 for those employed April 1 to September 30. https://www.cbs58.com/news/
Charles Kuck was quoted by Bloomberg Law in “Their Papers Mired in Pandemic Backlog, Visa Seekers Go to Court.” Mr. Kuck said that delays abroad have prompted EB-5 immigrant investors to join a third class-action lawsuit that was filed last month. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/
Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC published its US legal guide for Corporate Immigration. It can be found at https://iclg.com/practice-
Firm News
Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC has an office in Adel, Georgia, near the Irwin, Folkston, and Stewart Detention Centers, which hold more than 6,000 detained immigrants. The new office is managed by our Partner Elizabeth Matherne, the former Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Irwin Detention Project.
We have changed the location of our podcast–The Immigration Hour— to Stitcher. We are entering our 13th year of continuous broadcasts. Listen each week for our latest take on immigration and immigration law!
You can follow us on Twitter @KuckBaxter or @CKuck
You can also get constantly updated news on our Facebook page.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or for help in your immigration case at 404-816-8611 or [email protected].
