USCIS Announces Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Opportunities

 JULY 30, 2019

(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it is accepting applications for two funding opportunities under the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program that will provide up to $10 million in grants for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country.

These competitive grant opportunities are open to organizations that prepare lawful permanent residents for naturalization and promote civic assimilation through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history, and civics.

USCIS seeks to expand availability of high-quality citizenship and assimilation services throughout the country with these two grant opportunities:
 

• Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services. This grant opportunity will fund up to 36 organizations that offer both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to lawful permanent residents. Applications are due by Aug. 13, 2019. Read more at: http://www.wbiw.com/2019/07/30/uscis-announces-citizenship-and-assimilation-grant-opportunities/

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more details.

A returning U.S. citizen's rights at the border

International travel for most Americans requires the proper documents and a lot of patience to get to the front of the immigration line and back into the country. But if Customs and Border Protection pulls you off to the side for a secondary screening, here's what you need to know.

The big picture: The 4th Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, but it doesn't apply at the U.S. border, says Georgetown law professor M. Tia Johnson, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.

• Expectation of privacy is generally lower when traveling, and officials need to enforce immigration and customs laws.
• A U.S. citizen cannot refuse a secondary inspection, according to Sophia Cope, a senior attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Read more at: https://www.axios.com/us-citizens-rights-at-the-border-430039f3-724b-4a26-8ad8-976346c95431.html 

Contact Darren Heyman. immigration attorney, for more information.

The price of a US “golden visa” just increased to $900,000

Using cash to obtain a US permanent residency visa is getting more expensive. The EB-5 visa will now cost rich foreigners a minimum investment of $900,000. That’s up from $500,000, the requirement set in 1993. It’s part of a long-awaited reform.

The EB-5—which grants a two-year conditional green card—has been linked to a litany of controversies. Investors’ money was often spent on luxurious projects rather than in the distressed areas Congress intended. Fraudsters continue to use what critics have called the “golden visa” program to swindle foreigners. Read more at: https://qz.com/1673369/the-us-eb-5-visa-will-soon-cost-900000-not-500000/

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

What to bring along for your US visa interview

On your interview day, you will go to the US embassy or consulate you scheduled. What you need to bring varies according to the kind of visa you are applying for, but all applicants will need a current passport. It is a good idea to bring all old passports as well. Even though you had your photo taken when you submitted biometrics, it can be a good idea to bring a copy of your photograph to your interview in case there are any technical issues.
Read more at: https://www.cntraveller.in/story/documents-to-bring-along-for-your-us-visa-interview/

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

How to apply for a US visa: the official, step-by-step guide

Some people believe that applying for a US visa must be difficult.  Here at the US Mission to India, we try to make the process as straightforward as possible.

Briefly, the US visa application process consists of three parts:

• Register for an account online, fill out your visa application form, pay your visa fee, and schedule your visa appointments.
• Complete a Biometrics Collection Appointment at one of five Visa Application Centers (VAC) in India
• Complete the Consular Visa Interview in person at the US Embassy in New Delhi or one of four other US Consulates in India    Read more at: https://www.cntraveller.in/story/how-to-apply-for-a-us-visa-the-official-step-by-step-guide-mumbai/

 Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

What is Amazon's role in the US immigration crackdown?

Immigration activists rallied this week in eight cities - including at the New York City residence of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, delivering 270,000 petitions to demand that the company cut ties with United States immigration authorities.

As Amazon began its two-day annual shopping holiday on Monday, the country was emerging from a tense night of expected raids in urban areas to round up undocumented immigrants across the nation. Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/amazon-role-immigration-crackdown-190716194004183.html

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney, for more information.

Trump Administration Revising U.S. Citizenship Test

The Trump administration is planning changes to the U.S. citizenship test. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is revising the test to ensure that "it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant's civics knowledge."

The test was introduced in 1986 and last revised in 2008. In a USCIS statement, acting Director Ken Cuccinelli said, "Updating, maintaining, and improving a test that is current and relevant is our responsibility as an agency in order to help potential new citizens fully understand the meaning of U.S. citizenship and the values that unite all Americans." Read more at: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/20/743786884/trump-administration-revising-u-s-citizenship-test

Contact Darren Heyman, the immigration attorney, for more information.

How To Speed Up Your Spousal U.S. Immigration Case

Recently, Congressional hearings considered the question of processing delays in U.S. immigration matters. One area that was identified where improvement was needed was with spousal sponsorships. If you look at the processing times published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, they look quite reasonable for today’s applications. Yet to the untrained eye the processing times are deceptive, thus the reason why improvement is needed. Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2019/07/20/how-to-speed-up-your-spousal-us-immigration-case/#ee7981467c5a

Contact Darren Heyman, the immigration attorney, for more details. 

Trump Administration to Revise Citizenship Test

The Trump administration is revising the civics test immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services announced Friday.

The agency did not say exactly what changes will be made to the test, which quizzes immigrants on information about U.S. history and the government. A new test will be introduced this fall and implemented before the end of President Donald Trump's first term.
Read more at https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-07-19/trump-administration-to-revise-citizenship-test

Contact Darren Heyman, the immigration attorney, for more details.