Immigration News

Initial TPS Deadline Nears

April 2023

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Jasinsky Immigration Law would like to remind clients that the initial registration period for TPS Ukraine will close on October 19, 2023. Any Ukrainian national who has been present in the United States since at least April 11, 2022, is encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

USCIS Hiring Additional Staff for New Service Center

March 2023

 

USCIS announced that it is opening a new Service Center, which will focus on Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions, and Travel Documents. The new service center aims to address some of the largest backlogs of pending cases, with an initial focus on I-601A waivers, U visas, Refugee/Asylee relative petitions, and VAWA.

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USCIS has currently completed onboarding and staffing for about 150 positions, with plans to grow to a peak of 480 positions by August 2024. 

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over I-601A Delays

March 2023

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A group of immigrants filed a federal class action lawsuit against USCIS, in an effort to force the agency to address a multi-year backlog in the processing of I-601A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers. Plaintiffs are currently facing a 3+ year wait for the USCIS to take action on their waiver applications. Prior to 2020, most waiver applications were processed in less than a year, and in 2018 processing took just 4.5 months on average.

Navigating CBP's "Stampless Entry" Program

August 2022

 

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol began a pilot program called "Stampless Entry" in August 2022, to eliminate ink passport stamps for certain visa holders and Permanent Residents. Recently, CBP has confirmed that the program is here to stay and will be expanded. We expect this program will create immigration challenges for many of our clients, as ink stamps are often used as proof of entry and proof of maintenance of status.

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We recommend that all Lawful Permanent Residents request an ink stamp upon their entry to the U.S. after foreign travel. This can help alleviate the burden of producing a travel history if/when (s)he chooses to apply for U.S. Citizenship. Other foreign nationals should always download their current I-94 from the CBP website, and promptly take action to make any necessary corrections.

New Options for Certain TPS Holders

July 2022

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USCIS announced an important policy change that will allow certain TPS holders a new path to apply for Adjustment of Status from inside the United States. USCIS can now issue TPS holders a special travel permit that allows them to be "admitted" rather than "paroled" after foreign travel. The changes that result from this travel permit are both significant and complicated. If you are a TPS holder and would like to find out if this permit can help you, please give our office a call to schedule an appointment.