The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published an advance copy of amendments to its regulations pertaining to the naturalization of military personnel in the federal register. The amendments are aimed at:

• Reducing from three years to one year the length of time a member of the U.S. Armed Forces has to serve to qualify for naturalization through service in the Armed Forces.

• Including the individuals who served or are serving as members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of the U.S. Armed Forces during specified periods of hostility as eligible for naturalization.

• Removing the requirement to submit Form G-325B, Biographic Information, with Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, for applicants applying for Naturalization through service in the U.S. Armed Forces

For complete information, please click: Naturalization of Military Personnel May Become Easy

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced new filing addresses for Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) in Phoenix and Dallas. Starting immediately, applicants filing Form N-400 at the USCIS Dallas or Phoenix Lockbox must submit the application and all supporting documents and fees to the addresses mentioned in USCIS Update (linked blow), based on where they live.

Applicants filing under military provisions should file at the Nebraska Service Center, PO Box 87426, Lincoln, NE 68501-7462, regardless of where they live.

For full details, please click: Form N-400 Filing Location Changed

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) through its Deputy Assistant Secretary for Overseas Citizens Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Michele Bond has addressed the media persons on the eve of National Adoptions Day. Commenting on the importance of the subject, Ms. Bond said, “There are hundreds of Department of State employees who adoptive parents, foster parents, or adult adoptees. So this is an important and personal issue for State Department Staff.”

The Deputy Assistant Secretary asserted that as the U.S. central authority for Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, the DOS “is deeply committed to promoting and facilitating adoption as a permanent, loving alternative for children who cannot remain in their birth families.”

While responding to a question from CNN’s journalist, Ms. Bond said China is not a problem country as far as adoptions are concerned and in Fiscal Year 2009, over 3000 children were adopted from China which is the largest number among all. Commenting on adoptions from India, Ms. Bond said, “we are working very closely with the Indian authorities to make sure that those adoptions that occur are taking place in full conformity with our law and Indian law. I think some of the problems that have come up have been when American citizens of Indian origin adopt in India, and without realizing that they shouldn’t, they sometimes adopt as Indian citizens instead of as Americans as foreigners.”

For complete information, please click: DOS Briefs Media on National Adoptions Day

As a part of an elite group called Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest Recruitment Program (MAVNI) five soldiers from South Korea, India, and Nigeria were granted U.S. citizenship. The U.S. military immigration recruitment program began this year and helps immigrants obtain citizenship by joining the military. Until now, only 29 recruits in the entire country had been nationalized under MAVNI. The military services recruit certain soldiers whose skills are considered to be vital and certain experts in foreign languages and are allowed to enlist up to 1,000 legal non-immigrants to help the Army fill recruitment gaps.

For complete information please click: Special Army program grants 5 soldiers U.S. Citizenship

To commemorate the formation and signing of U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be celebrating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day at special naturalization ceremonies throughout the country. For location of ceremony, date and time etc, USCIS has provided related files.

For detailed information, please read: USCIS to Celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

To commemorate the milestone of more than 52,000 American military service members becoming U.S. citizens since September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano was joined by host of dignitaries including Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Robert Gates and USCIS Director Alejendro Mayokas at a naturalization ceremony for 31 military men and women at the Pentagon. Speaking on the occasion, Napolitano said, “I am proud to swear in these brave men and women who have come from all over the world to serve our country and become its newest citizens.” The 31 men and women who were naturalized came from Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, India, Iran, Jamaica, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. The partnership between DHS and DOD has resulted in more than 9,000 non-citizens in uniform becoming American citizens this fiscal year – more than any year since 1970, Napolitano remarked.

For complete information, please click Secretary Napolitano Leads Naturalization Ceremony for 31 Service Members at the Pentagon

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a memorandum from Acting Associate Director, Domestic Operations Donald Neufeld, Associate Director, Refugee, Asylum & International Operations Lori Scialabba, and Acting Chief, Office of Policy & Strategy Pearl Chang relating to Conditional Permanent Residents (CPR) and Naturalization under Sect. 319 of the Act. Memorandum provides field guidance and updates the Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) to address circumstances under which an alien who was admitted as a lawful permanent resident on a CPR pursuant to Section 216 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) may be naturalized under section 319(b) of the Act prior to the removal of the conditions. It also supplements the guidance provided by the memorandum entitled “Removal of Conditional Resident Status Prior to, or Concurrently with, Adjudication of Form N-400″ issued on February 4, 2004.

For detailed information, please read: Neufeld Memo on Conditional Permanent Residents and Naturalization

The Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) has published some interesting facts relating to Naturalization entitled “Spotlight on Naturalization Trends.” In this critique, author Jeanne Batalova examines foreign nationals age 18 and older who became U.S. citizens (i.e., naturalized) in 2008. It also highlights some of the trends surrounding naturalization since the 1980s. The analysis is based on the data made public by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) Annual Flow Report on the number and characteristics of foreign nationals who were naturalized in 2008, as well from tables available on the OIS website.

According to the spotlight, in 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) had naturalized more than 1 million lawful permanent residents, an increase of 58 percent since 2007. USCIS also denied more than 121,000 naturalization petitions in 2008 representing nearly 10.4 percent of all naturalization applications processed in 2008. The spotlight avers the sudden surge in naturalization occurred in the second half of the 1990s due to the passing of legislations in 1986 and 1996. The spotlight also states that more than 47,000 immigrant service members have become U.S. citizen since September 2001.

For complete information, please click MPI Spotlight on Naturalization Trends

As part of the Defense Department’s Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) pilot recruiting program, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has naturalized the first nonimmigrant to enlist in the military. As a medical professional, Dr. Brown (pseudonym used at the request of the army) became the first nonimmigrant to sign a contract under the MAVNI program and will serve the U.S. Army for next six years. The one-year MAVNI pilot program will allow up to 1,000 non-citizens, who do not have permanent resident status but have been here legally for at least two years, to join the Army subject to medical or foreign language and cultural expertise. Outlining the significance of MAVNI program, Debra Rogers, acting Deputy Associate Director of USCIS’ Domestic Operations Directorate and head of USCIS’ Military Liaison team, said “The MAVNI program is vital to the national interest, and as such we are very focused on its success.” More information on the MAVNI program is available online at www.goarmy.com/info/mavni or in the Defense Department fact sheet www.defenselink.mil/news/mavni-fact-sheet.pdf.

For detailed information, please read: USCIS Naturalizes First Soldier in Military Pilot Recruiting Program

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Operating Performance Report- April 2009 there have been changes in filed, pending and completed petitions. It also provides national average for processing times. USCIS used revenue from the revised fee schedule and from the surge in filings in 2007 to hire approximately 1,700 new employees thereby expanding the agency workforce by app. 20% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. The difference is particularly noticeable in filings of Forms I-140 Immigrant Petition for Worker, I-526 Investor Petition, N-400 non-military Naturalization, I-485 Employment-based Adjustment of Status and I-824 Follow-up action on approved case. In April, USCIS completed 631, 680 cases, which is 115,422 more cases than received in the same month. Commendably, total naturalization pending is now the lowest it has been in the history of USCIS. Production in Other Resident Services has been rising consistently and the pendency in this segment has come down by over 90,000 thus year.

For detailed information, please read: USCIS Operating Performance Report-April 2009