Remember when this happened before? And then we receive the "Update on July Visa Availability" that contained the following,

The Visa Bulletin revisions implement November 2014 executive actions on immigration announced by President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson, as detailed in the White House report, Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st century, issued in July 2015.

This bulletin supersedes the bulletin for October 2015 that was originally published on September 9, 2015, and contained Dates for Filing Applications long used by the Department of State for internal processing purposes. Following consultations with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Dates for Filing Applications for some categories in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based preferences have been adjusted to better reflect a timeframe justifying immediate action in the

Remember back to November 20, 2014 when you watched President Obama deliver his speech on reforming the immigration system from within the corridors of Washington, DC? Remember when you heard about Judge Hanen in Texas and learned that the reform was on hold? What do you make of this recent news? Have you looked at the most recent Visa Bulletin for October 2015?

There is no limit on the amount of money that can be taken out of or brought into the United States. However, if a person or persons traveling together and filing a joint declaration (CBP Form 6059-B) have $10,000 or more in currency or negotiable monetary instruments, they must fill out a "Report of International Transportation of Currency and Monetary Instruments" FinCEN 105 (former CF 4790).

Brazen incendiary rhetoric, ignorance of the facts, and bias fueled anti-immigrant sentiment are polluting the immigration conversation.

This PM is binding on all USCIS employees adjudicating requests to reopen on USCIS’ own motion certain consent to reapply and adjustment of status applications, as outlined in the Settlement Agreement.

You may still file another amended petition to allow your H-1B employee to change worksite locations immediately upon your latest filing. However, every H-1B amended petition must separately meet the requirements for H-1B classification and any requests for extension of stay. In the event that the H-1B nonimmigrant beneficiary’s status has expired while successive amended petitions are pending, the denial of any petition or request to amend or extend status will result in the denial of all

Multiple AILA members have reported delays between approval of a client's I-765 or I-485 and the client's receipt of the employment authorization card or lawful permanent resident card. USCIS has confirmed that the card production facility in Corbin, KY is undergoing maintenance, and all card production work was transferred to the facility in Lee's Summit, MO.

Non-adopted LPR stepchild does not derive U.S. citizenship from U.S. citizen stepparent. The lesson from the case is that a U.S. citizen stepparent should adopt the LPR child before the child reaches 18 in order for the stepchild to derive U.S. citizenship. The 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals issued the linked opinion this week on Child Citizenship Act in Acevedo v. Lynch, No. 12-71237 (9th Cir. 2015) on August 24, 2015.

The USCIS Field Operations Committee and National Benefits Center Committee are looking for examples where USCIS has mistakenly routed files to the National Records Center (NRC) instead of the National Visa Center (NVC) after a stand alone I-130 had been approved for a beneficiary in removal proceedings. The committees would also like to know if you were required to file an I-824 to try and resolve this service error. If you have multiple examples, we ask that you complete the survey for each

The USCIS Field Operations Committee is seeking case examples where USCIS officers issued an RFE (I-72) after an adjustment interview, instructing the applicant to file Form I-601 before conclusively determining that an actual ground of inadmissibility exists. The Committee would like to know if the RFE issued by the Field Office provided sufficient detail as to the supposed ground(s) of inadmissibility and if you were able to work with your USCIS Field Office to resolve this matter without

A new USCIS online tool allows three-year DACA recipients to verify whether they need to immediately return their Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to USCIS. Effective this Friday, July 31, 2015, DACA grants will be terminated—and EADs declared invalid—for those recipients who do not return the erroneously issued three-year EADs.

DACA recipients should be advised the three-year work permit recall only applies to SOME individuals who received a card after the February 16, 2015, court order. If you received a letter or were contacted directly by USCIS regarding the recall of certain three-year work permits, you must IMMEDIATELY return your three-year work permit, also called an Employment Authorization Document, to your local USCIS office.

AILA and the American Immigration Council welcomed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Flores v. Johnson that should signal the end of the mass incarceration of children and mothers seeking asylum in the United States. Judge Gee found that the government materially breached the Flores settlement agreement, which requires that children in temporary custody be housed in safe, sanitary, non-secure, and licensed facilities. She granted the plaintiffs' motion to enforce the agreement, and

Check out some of the ongoing litigation efforts against CBP and get inspired to bring your own challenge at:

Do you have a question about immigration and nationality (I&N) records and research? Do you need help understanding an immigration or naturalization record you found? Marian Smith will be answering pre-submitted questions during a live webinar on Friday, July 31^st, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Send your question via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “July Webinar Question.” If your question relates to a document you found, attach a copy of the document to the email

UPDATE (July 14, 2015): During a stakeholder call on the evening of July 14, 2015, USCIS informed stakeholders of the following: