The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have released an updated set of Question and Answers (Q&As)on information for adoptive parents of paroled Haitian Orphans for obtaining Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR) status and U.S. citizenship. The Q&As also provide information for United States citizens that have adopted a child or are in the process of adopting a child from Haiti prior to the earthquake, to be paroled into the United States.  Additional guidance is provided to adoptive parents regarding the next steps for obtaining LPR status can be found on the USCIS website www.uscis.gov.

For complete information, please click: Questions & Answers: Information for Adoptive Parents of Paroled Haitian Orphans

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a list of Question and Answers regarding the H-1B and H-2B cap exemptions for work performed in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam.  The Q&As cover details of  H-1B and H-2B cap exemptions contemplated under the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (CNRA). CNRA provides a special exemption to the statutory numerical limitations for temporary workers in H nonimmigrant classifications mentioned in Section 214(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

For complete information, please click: USCIS Provides Details on H-1B and H-2B Cap Exemptions for Work Performed in the CNMI and Guam

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a set of Questions and Answers for State Medicaid Agencies regarding the Haitian earthquake crisis. The set of Question and Answers provided are exclusively applicable to Haitian nationals who are arriving in the United States from Haiti as a result of the recent earthquake and subsequent humanitarian disaster. These Q&As provide information particularly about the eligibility of Haitian nationals for Medicaid program.

For complete information, please click: Q & As for State Medicaid Agencies

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have posted a list of Question and Answers regarding request of fee waiver for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applicants on its website http://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver. These Question and Answers provide information particularly about the individuals who are unable to pay filing or biometrics fees and may request a fee waiver of TPS-related application fees or the biometrics fee by submitting a fee waiver request with supporting documentation of inability to pay.

For complete information, please click: Q&As: Requesting Waiver of Fees Temporary Protected Status Applicants

Estimating that approximately 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have published Q&As on the subject. The Q&A covers all relevant questions such as eligibility for TPS, application requirements, procedure, application forms and fee, required documentation, etc.

For detailed Q&As, please follow the link: TPS for Haitians – Q&As

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have released a set of Question and Answers (Q&As) regarding the vaccination requirements for immigrants (including individuals seeking adjustment of status). The Q&As cover the assessments made by the civil surgeon to determine whether an applicant meets the vaccination requirements, but do not address the vaccination assessments conducted by panel physicians overseas. For refugees, health departments can be considered a civil surgeon for purposes of completing the vaccination record.

For complete information, please click: Vaccination Requirements

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have published Question and Answers regarding the extension of filing period of H-1B petitions without Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) that have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) until March 9, 2010. This is a temporary measure, USCIS is providing to address delay and other problems related to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) iCERT System.

For complete information, please click: Questions and Answers: Temporary Acceptance of H-1B Petition Filed without DOL’s Certified Labor Condition Applications (LCAs)

Announcing that it will grant parole on a case-by-case basis to qualifying individuals in certain groups of aliens in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on November 30, 2009, have released Question and Answers. The Q&As clarify various doubts pertaining to the eligibility for a grant of parole, definition of immediate relative, meaning and validity of parole status, the other requirements to obtain parole, filing fees, etc.

Readers are aware that in our recent news snippet “INA Now Applicable to CNMI” we published the news of DHS’ announcement to amend Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide new privileges and ease restrictions to CNMI residents wishing to live and work in the U.S. for more on that, please click on the above link.

For complete information on Q&As, please click: CNMI Parole Q&As

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have released a detailed list of Q&As pertaining to immigration information for members of the Armed forces and their families. It includes information on conditional residence, naturalization, certification of military service, initial adjustment interviews for military spouses when husband/wife is overseas, expedited processing of I-130s, notifying USCIS of APO/FPO addresses etc. Questions were posed before the military assistance team established by USCIS to ensure that the military community receives fast and secure access to accurate information.

For detailed information on Q&As, please read: USCIS Circulates Immigration Q&As for Members of the Armed Forces