In order to avoid problems for immigrants and face delays, the Citizenship and Immigration Services office is extending the period to receive essential documentation for applications for benefits, including the Green Card and naturalization

The Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office is extending flexibilities to immigrants, so that they can send documents or answer questions about their immigration petitions.

This will benefit at least eight open case processes at the immigration agency, led by Ur M. Jaddou, given the delays caused by the closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Immigrants will now have the opportunity to respond until January 24, 2023, the agency said.

?Under these flexibilities, USCIS will consider a response received within 60 calendar days after the due date established [in a document]?, indicates the agency.

This means that if USCIS issued the request for more information or notice of additional processing at any time between March 1, 2020 and January 24, 2023, immigrants will have an additional 60 calendar days beyond the due date marked on the document to answer.

The new policy will allow an immigrant to respond to additional information regarding her case, duly attend to a notification about a possible suspension or denial of the process, reopen naturalization cases, among others.

The agency had already applied similar flexibilities in 2021 and earlier this year, but is still facing severe processing delays, which has even led the agency to extend the validity of Employment Authorization (EAD) and Green Cards. Expired cards.

What processes does it benefit?

There are several processes benefited from the USCIS decision:

Evidence Requests.- The agency sometimes asks for more information about applications for any visa, in addition to the Green Card or naturalization.

Continuation of Requests for Evidence (N-14).- Officers can extend the request for evidence to immigrants.

Notifications of Intent to Deny.- Immigrants may act before losing the opportunity to continue with the immigration process.

Notifications of Intent to Revocation.- Interested persons and/or their attorneys may attend to USCIS’ reasons for a possible revocation of the immigration benefit.

Notifications of Intent to Rescind.- Immigrants can address the USCIS reason to terminate a procedure or benefit.

Notices of Intent to Terminate Regional Centers.

Motions to Reopen an N-400 or Naturalization Pursuant to 8 CFR 335.5, Receipt of Derogatory Information After Grant.

Appeal Motions

The new USCIS flexibility will also benefit those who file a Form I-290B, which is the Notice of Appeal or Motion; including Form N-336, which is the Request for Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings.

In those cases there are two specifications:

– Immigrants can respond within a maximum of 90 calendar days, from the final decision of USCIS.
– If the agency made that decision at any time between November 1, 2021 and January 24, 2023.

Other facilities

USCIS has implemented different adjustments in its operation manuals, in order to facilitate immigration processes, such as sending documents with “copies of their signatures”, that is, it was not necessary for the document to be signed directly. The agency reminds that this policy is permanent.

“As a reminder, the flexibility on reproduced signatures announced in March 2020 became permanent policy on July 25, 2022,” it said.

On the other hand, USCIS has extended the expiration dates of Employment Authorization (EAD) and Green Card, in order to avoid employment problems for immigrants.

Remember to ask for advice from a lawyer, to avoid complications, in addition to staying alert to the adjustments made by the immigration agency.

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