USCIS ELIS – An Online Immigration Benefits System

A system which has been created to modernize the filing process and the process for adjudicating immigration benefits, is the system which is known as the USCIS ELIS. The first phase of this electronic immigration benefits system was launched by the USCIS, which is considered to be a milestone in the history of the USCIS. It is also said to be a web-based future of the immigration benefits system and of the USCIS.

This new ELIS system will transform and change the way through which the USCIS interacts with its customers. The method through which the USCIS manages the 6-7 million applications that it receives every year, will also be changed through this new method.

As the USCIS has launched the web-based immigration benefits system, the applicants may now establish a USCIS ELIS account, through which they can apply online in order to change or extend their non-immigrant status. They can use this web-based system for certain types of visas.

People who are eligible to apply through this system are the foreign nationals who wish to travel to the United States on a temporary basis to conduct business, study, receive medical treatment or for tourism purposes. USCIS officers will be able to review and adjudicate online entries from multiple USCIS locations across the country, through USCIS ELIS.

Filing the application online and paying the application fee online are the major benefits of this system. This will also cut down the application processing time. The users will be able to update their profiles and will also receive notices online. Their requests will also receive online responses.

All these days, the USCIS customers had to apply for certain benefits by mail, which were then reviewed by the USCIS employees. After the USCIS employees reviewed the paper files, they sent the documents between their offices so as to accomplish their adjudication.

This remarkable launch which is the first of its releases, signifies an important step in moving forward. More new forms and functions are expected to be added to this system in the near future. Gradually, this system will cover filing and adjudication for all immigration benefits of the USCIS.

The USCIS expects feedback from the users, needed to make adjustments and improvements towards this new system, as ELIS will enable the USCIS to enhance the experience of the users. It will definitely enhance the experience of the USCIS employees and the USCIS customers. One of the most remarkable features of this system is that, this system is designed with tools to fight fraud and also to identify security concerns of the country.

This benefits system will take time to be fully established. It also requires continued dedication for complete implementation.

Wrong Name on Green Card

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Dwindling Mexican Population in the US

Per a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center , Mexican immigration to the US has dropped down drastically because of the weakening US economy. Undocumented workers from Mexico find it difficult to get employment in the US because of this downturn. It is also believed they have begun to return to Mexico. The Mexican-born population in the US is almost 12 million and more than half of that figure are living illegally. The study interestingly states that the Mexicans entering the US now is almost equal to the number of Mexicans leaving the US. Few reasons for this can be attributed to the Mexican demographics and U.S. Border Enforcement.

Professor Rafael Fernandez de Castro from the Autonomous Institute of Technology in Mexico, said that the major reason for the Mexicans leaving the US is because of the lack of jobs in the US, especially in the construction industry. The series of annoyances besetting the Mexican population, in places like Arizona and Alabama, is also a major factor. Illegal workers feel it is better to return to Mexico that has better living conditions than to remain in the US where there is no employment.

Illegal immigration, always a hotly debated topic found another one with Arizona’s controversial law raising a national debate. The Supreme Court has highlighted that the Mexican population has fallen considerably. This news is out when the Supreme Court is getting ready to hear arguments on Arizona’s new law that foreign nationals have to carry their registration document always and that police officers have the right to question anyone they believe to be in the country illegally. In the presidential campaign, this is the key issue.

The law, passed by the Republican Governor Jan Brewer has been praised by presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who was in turn endorsed by the bill’s author Kris Kobach. Though President Obama earlier challenged the law and won in the lower courts to prevent four of its provisions from taking effect, both Obama or Romney do not seem to be in a big hurry to weigh the decline in immigration. Neither of them commented on this issue.

Though in his 2008 election campaign President Obama had promised to bring a comprehensive immigration reform, once in power, his administration were not able to tackle these issues, focusing only on health care reform. While Republicans widely opposed the bill, even five Democrats voted to block it. The Latinos are for Obama and have a very unfavorable view of Romney. The Democrats however take Romney as an extreme presidential candidate ever on the immigration issue. Romney has been mocked by his own party members for his “self deportation” policy.

It is widely anticipated that President Obama will outperform himself among Latinos and win over two-thirds of the Latino vote he earned when he came to power the last time. It is also expected that he will get an even higher percentage in 2012. While both sides have avoided discussing the drop in immigration from Mexico, it is believed that the recent drop in immigration is enough evidence of Obama’s efforts to address the issue.

 

USCIS Continues Accepting H-1 B Petitions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues to accept H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2013. Petitions were being accepted from April 2, 2012. Approximately 17,400 H-1B petitions out of the 65,000 cap, and approximately 8,200 petitions out of the 20,000 cap exemption for individuals with advanced degrees have been received by the USCIS so far.

USCIS have mentioned it will provide regular updates regarding the processing of FY 2013 H-1B petitions. Once the USCIS receive the number of petitions needed to meet the yearly cap, it will issue an update advising the public that the H-1B cap for the fiscal year 2013 has been met. Note that the date USCIS notifies the public that the cap has been reached may vary from the actual final receipt date.

If needed, USCIS may select the number of petitions received randomly on the final receipt date that will be considered for final inclusion within the cap. It will reject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date. A petition received by the final receipt date will be based on the date USCIS actually receives the correctly filed petition. It is not the date the petition is postmarked.

Premium processing cases (expedited processing of some employment-based petitions) of H-1B petitions filed during an initial five-day filing window are under a 15-day processing period that commenced on April 9. For all other H-1B petitions filed for expedited processing, the processing period begins on the date that the correctly filed petition is received at the appropriate USCIS Service Center.

Employers who filed petitions and who are exempt from the cap, and petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers who have been counted earlier against the cap within the last six years, will not count toward the cap. US employers use the H-1B program to employ foreign national workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, among others fall under this category.

How Soon Will I Get my Travel Document?

To get a travel document , you have to file Form I-131. This form is used for applying for a reentry permit, refugee travel document and advance parole, if you have applications pending. You must be physically present when you are applying for the above travel documents. Advance parole is used sparingly, that is when a non-immigrant is brought inside the U.S due to an emergency. This is not a document to bypass the normal delays in the issuance of a visa.

The time it will take to process these documents may vary. Usually the USCIS processes cases based on the order of when they are filed. The USCIS will also notify you by mail when a decision on the case is made or if they need further documentation from you. From this you may understand how long it will take before your case is completed. You should also keep in mind that the processing time does not show just how long it will take to process your case from start to finish but how long it will take to process the cases that were filed before yours.

However, the processing times can change and the USCIS keeps updating the progress of cases. So if you do not hear from them you may check their website and get an idea of where your case stands or call their customer service. Even though a case is pending while other files are being worked on, people want to know their status and track them. So each applicant is assigned a receipt number for customers to track their cases easily.

The receipt number starts with three letters and has a series of numbers. You may find it on the receipt notice or biometrics appointment notices that are mailed to you about the case. You can use this receipt number when you call customer service or from the website to get information about processing times. You may also register with the website to get automatic updates as and when there is progress on your case.

Also, you should keep in mind that during the time your case is pending, cases filed before yours are being processed. So the status of your case may not change till it gets to the end of the normal processing time. Secondly, since the focus is on processing cases, the USCIS will not be able to research your case and give you details on the status of your case. The ability to track cases is available only to customers who have a receipt number. Other cases are based on your account number which is also called A-number. These start with A, followed by an eight or nine digit number. However, for these cases you can find the processing time but cannot track the processing of the case.

The USCIS also requires applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits to be fingerprinted for conducting criminal background checks. The applicant should not submit a fingerprint card (FD 258) along with the application. If submitted, the card will be rejected and you will be scheduled to be fingerprinted by the USCIS. You have to submit a fee in addition to the application fee payable to the USCIS with the application. This is to cover the cost of fingerprinting. However, there are exceptions to applicants and petitioners living abroad who are fingerprinted at a U.S consulate abroad and do not need to be fingerprinted by the USCIS and are also exempt from the fingerprint fee.

Form I-797C

Beginning April 2, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a new look and feel. Form I-797C will be printed on plain bond paper. This change is expected to save the agency around $1.1 million per year. This change is aimed at reducing public belief that Form I-797C is evidence of an immigration benefit or status. The new form will clearly display: “THIS NOTICE DOES NOT GRANT ANY IMMIGRATION STATUS OR BENEFIT.”

This Notice of Action is used only for some types of communication between individuals and the USCIS including notifications of:

• Receipt notice – this informs the applicant that their payment and application/petition has been received by USCIS.
• Rejection notice – this informs the applicant that their application/petition has been rejected because of incorrect information or incorrect payment.
• Transfer notice – this informs the customer that their case was transferred to another USCIS office for processing.
• Re-Open – this lets the applicant know that USCIS has approved a motion to re-open his/her completed case and that it is being processed.
• Appointment notice – this will inform the applicant that he/she has an appointment with USCIS to get fingerprinted, to attend an interview, or that their appointment has been rescheduled.

Also note that Form I-797C appointment notices will also have disability accommodation information on the backside of the form. Earlier, this information used to come as a separate flyer and was sent along with the notice. It was decided to have this information on the backside of the form to save additional resources by having the notice and disability information in a single form.

However, note that Form I-797C Notice of Actions issued prior to April 2, 2012, will still be valid. This new change is part of USCIS efforts to improve customer service while enhancing agency operations.

 

Dual Citizenship

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