mustbepatient
Registered Users (C)
I honestly can't tell if the below is an April Fool's Day joke (it says at the bottom it isn't), but I'll post the link here and if people see confirmation of the same information posted elsewhere, perhaps it is true. If so, it sounds like a good thing, although there are still some vague points.
http://www.cooley.com/news/alerts.aspx?id=38544320
Immigration Alert: USCIS Experiments With Two Pilot Programs: Concurrent Adjudication and Expedited I-551 Production
The California Service Center (“CSC”) Director, Don Neufeld, announced at a March 31, 2004 American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) liaison meeting that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is implementing two new pilot programs to increase adjudication and processing efficiency.
Expedited I-140 and Adjustment of Status Adjudication
In the very near future, the CSC will attempt to adjudicate all new concurrently filed EB-2 I-140 petitions (excluding National Interest Waivers) and I-485 adjustment of status applications on a concurrent basis. This would include I-140 petitions based upon a labor certification application that requires at least a Master’s degree, or a Bachelor’s degree followed by five years of progressively responsible professional experience. Instead of a prima facie review, the I-140 petition and concurrently filed I-485 application will be adjudicated within 90 days, provided fingerprints and name checks are cleared. The CSC will also target previously-filed EB-2 I-140 petitions (excluding National Interest Waivers) with the goal to match the pilot program’s 90-day processing timeframe.
Additionally, the CSC will concurrently adjudicate pending adjustment of status applications and I-140 petitions in all preference categories to decrease processing times to less than one year. The CSC expects little movement regarding petition processing for I-140 petitions that are filed without an adjustment of status application. Finally, the pilot project will be implemented at the CSC only.
Expedited I-551 Processing
The second pilot program, already in progress, involves Form I-90s filed electronically by permanent residents in the Los Angeles district. When an applicant appears at an Application Support Center (“ASC”) for biometric processing, the ASC will automatically cause the I-551 or Permanent Resident Card (“green card”) to be manufactured and mailed immediately to the permanent resident. The green cards will not be produced at the ASCs, but the ASCs will be directly linked to the card facility. Again, this applies to electronically filed Form I-90s by applicants in the Los Angeles district only. Note that Form I-90s for children turning 14 cannot be filed electronically.
It is expected that the USCIS headquarters office will soon release more details regarding both of these pilot programs.
How This Affects You
According to recent reports, although the CSC is adjudicating employment-based adjustment of status applications filed at the beginning of January 2002, many cases are still pending that were filed in the summer and fall of 2001. Efforts to reduce the USCIS’ I-140 and adjustment of status processing backlogs has been long anticipated, and announcement of the expedited processing program on April Fools Day is merely a coincidence.
We will provide further information as it becomes available.
http://www.cooley.com/news/alerts.aspx?id=38544320
Immigration Alert: USCIS Experiments With Two Pilot Programs: Concurrent Adjudication and Expedited I-551 Production
The California Service Center (“CSC”) Director, Don Neufeld, announced at a March 31, 2004 American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) liaison meeting that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is implementing two new pilot programs to increase adjudication and processing efficiency.
Expedited I-140 and Adjustment of Status Adjudication
In the very near future, the CSC will attempt to adjudicate all new concurrently filed EB-2 I-140 petitions (excluding National Interest Waivers) and I-485 adjustment of status applications on a concurrent basis. This would include I-140 petitions based upon a labor certification application that requires at least a Master’s degree, or a Bachelor’s degree followed by five years of progressively responsible professional experience. Instead of a prima facie review, the I-140 petition and concurrently filed I-485 application will be adjudicated within 90 days, provided fingerprints and name checks are cleared. The CSC will also target previously-filed EB-2 I-140 petitions (excluding National Interest Waivers) with the goal to match the pilot program’s 90-day processing timeframe.
Additionally, the CSC will concurrently adjudicate pending adjustment of status applications and I-140 petitions in all preference categories to decrease processing times to less than one year. The CSC expects little movement regarding petition processing for I-140 petitions that are filed without an adjustment of status application. Finally, the pilot project will be implemented at the CSC only.
Expedited I-551 Processing
The second pilot program, already in progress, involves Form I-90s filed electronically by permanent residents in the Los Angeles district. When an applicant appears at an Application Support Center (“ASC”) for biometric processing, the ASC will automatically cause the I-551 or Permanent Resident Card (“green card”) to be manufactured and mailed immediately to the permanent resident. The green cards will not be produced at the ASCs, but the ASCs will be directly linked to the card facility. Again, this applies to electronically filed Form I-90s by applicants in the Los Angeles district only. Note that Form I-90s for children turning 14 cannot be filed electronically.
It is expected that the USCIS headquarters office will soon release more details regarding both of these pilot programs.
How This Affects You
According to recent reports, although the CSC is adjudicating employment-based adjustment of status applications filed at the beginning of January 2002, many cases are still pending that were filed in the summer and fall of 2001. Efforts to reduce the USCIS’ I-140 and adjustment of status processing backlogs has been long anticipated, and announcement of the expedited processing program on April Fools Day is merely a coincidence.
We will provide further information as it becomes available.
