Immigration Resources
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by lauraj on Jun.01, 2009, under Law and Policy, Resources, USCIS
Checking the Status of an Immigration Case: The fastest way to check the status of an immigration case filed with the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) Service Center is either by phone or through the Internet. Applicants can check by telephone with the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. It is helpful to have your application receipt number handy before calling. It is also possible to check the status of an application online at the USCIS Case Status Center. In order to check the status online, you will be required to provide the application receipt number, which has three letters and ten numbers. For more information, please click on this link to the USCIS homepage.
US-VISIT Fingerprint Program: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a pilot program called US-VISIT in Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson International Airport and Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport collecting digital fingerprints of non-U.S. citizens leaving the country. This biometric exit procedure is being tested in hopes of collecting data on the timeliness of a non-U.S. citizen’s departure. It will help DHS learn which visitors stayed within the limits of their visa and which ones overstayed illegally. Non-U.S. citizens will have their digital fingerprints collected before boarding their flights at assigned security checkpoints. For more information, please click here US-VISIT.
California Governor Looks to Cut Immigrant Benefits: With no end in sight to California’s budget crisis, the governor is looking to cut three programs that benefit legal immigrants. The social services in question are Medi-Cal, the California Food Assistance Program and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). These programs have been in jeopardy of being scaled back before, however the California legislature has always come to the rescue. What makes this round of cuts different is that the governor is asking for complete elimination of all three programs. These programs were put in place to assist low-income families with rent, food and medical care. (source: newamericamedia.org)
Hispanic Woman Nominated to Supreme Court: President Barak Obama on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, nominated Sonia Sotomayor, a federal judge from New York, to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican decent and grew up in the housing projects of New York. Sotomayor is known for her activism and passionate support of the Latino community. Her appointment to the bench could bring a sympathetic ear to the issue of immigration reform. (source: nytimes.com
by admin on Mar.06, 2009, under USCIS
On March 4, 2009, USCIS announced that it had eliminated the backlog for FBI name checks pending more than 6 months. The next goal is to complete name check requests pending more than 90 days by May 30, 2009.