USA Green Card Immigration Blog

Twenty-two sailors took the Oath of Allegiance and became America’s newest U.S. Citizens during a special naturalization ceremony aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington on October 9, 2010. The Deputy Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Bangkok District Office, Stacy Strong, take a trip out to sea to preside over the naturalization ceremony and to conduct immigration training to the ship’s legal staff and crew.

Deputy Director Strong was also accompanied by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Overseas Adjudication Officer, Gary Remmel. Two days prior to the naturalization ceremony, the officials of the U.S. Immigration Services boarded the ship for interviewing the citizenship candidates.

These steps taken by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to accelerate the naturalization process for the members of the military has generated interest among other sailors on board in initiating the citizenship process. In addition to interviewing the citizenship candidates, the officials also conducted the naturalization test and coordinated with the other sailors to help them start the citizenship process.

Deputy Director Strong affirmed that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services through its extensive outreach ensures that the members of America’s armed forces are well-informed about the immigration services and benefits. She also stated that the USCIS was dedicated to extending support to all sailors on land and at sea.

The 22 new citizens are originally from the following countries: China, Colombia, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and Thailand. During the past calendar year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials from the Bangkok District Office have conducted naturalization ceremony for members and their families hailing from several foreign countries. Many such naturalization ceremonies were witnessed on board navy ships.

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The U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services (USCIS) has recently made a proclamation that the Permanent Resident Card which is usually referred to as a “Green Card” has been redesigned. The change has incorporated many new security features.

USCIS has joined hands with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Screening Coordination Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Forensic Document Laboratory and worked on the Green Card redesign.

The Green Card redesign has been putforth by the USCIS to dissuade fraudulent practices in immigration. To prevent forgery, obstruct tampering and to accelerate the authentication, the new card incorporates the state-of-the-art technology. The USCIS has begun issuing new Green Cards starting May 11, 2010.

According to the USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, the new Green Card would contribute in maintaining the integrity of the immigration services. Since the new Green Card is added with new and improved features, it will serve the employers, law enforcement forces, and the immigrants better than before.

One of the Green Card redesign benefits is that the biometrics of the immigrants will be stored by social optical media enabling faster and authentic identification. To make the card difficult to be replicated, new technologies, including holographic images, high resolution micro images, and laser scanned fingerprints have been used.

Further the card has been integrated tighter to make altering the card difficult if stolen. With Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) capability, the card can be read from a distance by the Customs and Border Protection officers and be verified if it matches with the file date. In case, the card is lost, a preprinted return address will facilitate its easy return.

To enable easy recognition, the Permanent Resident Card has been colored green. Upon filing application for renewal or replacement, the U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services will replace the Green Cards of individuals already in circulation.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a guidance to performing arts associations and their members clarifying the regulatory requirements for agents applying as petitioners under O and P visa classification.

USCIS has taken this action because the inquiries received from the public and the service centers indicated a great deal of confusion about the circumstances under which an agent can file the petition on behalf of multiple employers.

The O-1 visa is applicable to foreign nationals who have an extraordinary ability in arts, athletics, business, education, or sciences. On the other hand the P-1 visa is applicable to internationally recognized athletes, entertainers, or circus artists for taking part in international events.

In its clarification, USCIS states that only a U.S. employer, a U.S. agent, or a foreign employer through a U.S. agent are eligible to file O and P petition. According to the O and P regulations, if the beneficiary employee works simultaneously for different employers during the same period, then each employer should file a petition separately. This petition should be filed with the Service Center that has jurisdiction on the area where the employee will work.

There are several conditions on the O and P petition filed by an agent. If it involves multiple employers, only a person or a company in business as an agent working as a representative for both the employers and the beneficiary can file the O and P petition. But there are some conditions, such as the supporting documentation should include the complete itinerary of the event, including the dates of each service, and names and addresses of the establishments as well the employers.

Though the regulations allow the employer to file a petition on behalf of multiple employers, the main requirement is that the agent be “in business” as an agent.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now use Infopass, an appointment system to provide immigration information. Three more districts, Atlanta, Boston and Houston are added, so that the system can cover almost all metropolitan areas with immigrant residents. The system is also available in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Earlier this year, Case Status Online service was initiated, which helped users to check the status of their pending applications, for instance their green card application. The electronic filing of the 12 most popular immigration forms was also made possible, which further reduced the hassles of long lines and pending applications.

A person residing in a serviced USCIS district and seeking immigration benefits can use USCIS Infopass to schedule meetings with immigration officers through the Internet. This online system allows users to discuss any complex issues regarding immigration services with USCIS officials. This process tends to prevent long queues and helps manage the backlog of services effectively.

USCIS Infopass is provided through a secure Internet site. Instructions are available in 12 different languages. A series of prompts instructs the user to fill in details regarding his/her name, zip code, address, phone number and a desired appointment date. Once the user has entered all the relevant details, the system generates an appointment notice, which provides the USCIS office address and instructions with respect to identification and/or additional documentation, such as a green card or work permit, that the person needs to carry to the appointment. These appointments are offered in two-week blocks.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which was previously known as the Immigration and Naturalization Services, INS offers immigration help in every possible way to the various applicants. They manage the approval of student visas, adoption of foreign children, family and employment immigration, and refuge and asylum cases.