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Immigration News Briefs

Provided by Humera Subhani

January 2022

Civil surgeon signatures waived temporarily

USCIS is temporarily waiving the requirement that the civil surgeon sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before an applicant files an application for the underlying immigration benefit (including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), until September 30, 2022.

This temporary waiver will help applicants who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and related processing delays, which have sometimes caused delays in completing the immigration medical examination.

USCIS Conducts third random selection

USCIS recently determined the need to select additional registrations to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B numerical allocations, including the advanced degree exemption. On November 19, it selected from among previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. The petition filing period based on registrations selected on November 19 began on November 22, 2021, and close on February 23, 2022. Individuals with selected registrations will have their myUSCIS accounts updated to include a selection notice, which includes details about when and where to file.

The first and second selections were conducted in March and July 2021. An H-1B cap-subject petition must be properly filed at the correct service center and within the filing period indicated on the relevant registration selection notice.

Help available to those affected by disasters

USCIS is reminding the public that it offers immigration services that may help people affected by unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters. Examples of unforeseen circumstances include, but are not limited to, the severe weather in Kentucky and surrounding states.

The following measures may be available on a caseby- case basis upon request:

Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States. Failure to apply for the extension or change before expiration of your authorized period of admission may be excused if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control;
Re-parole of individuals previously granted parole by USCIS;
Expedited processing of advance parole requests;
Expedited adjudication of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate;
Consideration of fee waiver requests due to an inability to pay;
Flexibility for those who received a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny but were unable to submit evidence or otherwise respond in a timely manner;
Flexibility if you were unable to appear for a scheduled interview with USCIS;
Expedited replacement of lost or damaged immigration or travel documents issued by USCIS, such as a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Employment Authorization Documents, and Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94); and
Rescheduling a biometric services appointment.

Note: When making a request, please explain how the impact of unforeseen circumstances, such as a natural disaster, created a need for the requested relief. If you lost all forms of evidence in an unforeseen circumstance, include an explanation in your description and a copy of a police report, insurance claim or other report, if available,
to support your request.

APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES FOR JANUARY 2022

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Dec14	01Dec14
2A	Current	Current
2B	22Sep15	22Sep15
3rd	22Nov08	22Nov08
4th	15Sep05	22Mar07

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	Current	Current
2nd	08Jul12	Current
3rd	15Jan12	Current
Other	15Jan12	Current
4th	Current	Current
5th	Current	Current1B

DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS - JANUARY 2022

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15May16	15May16
2A	01Oct21	01Oct21
2B	22Sep16	22Sep16
3rd	22Aug09	22Aug09
4th	01Jan06	01Oct07

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	Current	Current
2nd	08Jul13	Current
3rd	22Jan12	Current
Other	22Jan12	Current
4th	Current	Current
5th	Current	Current1B