WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it has revised the filing instructions for the Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence (Form I-751).  Effective immediately, all petitioners filing a Form I-751 must file with the California or Vermont Service Center, depending on the state in which they reside.

Petitioners who live in Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming must file their Forms I-751 with the California Service Center:

USCIS California Service Center
P.O. Box 10751
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1075

Petitioners who live in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and West Virginia must file their Forms I-751 with the Vermont Service Center:

USCIS Vermont Service Center
75 Lower Welden St.
P.O. Box 200
St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

Beginning September 24, 2008, USCIS will only accept the revised form dated August 25, 2008, and will reject previous versions of the form as well as petitions filed with the incorrect Service Center.

Source: USCIS Update, August 25, 2008

Employment Based Visa Bulletin

Family Based Visa Bulletin

Source: US Department of State

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it continues to make steady progress in reducing the significant number of naturalization applications it received last year. USCIS now anticipates naturalization application processing will average 10-12 months nationally by the end of September 2008 – a substantial improvement from its estimated average processing time of 16-18 months first announced last year.  USCIS Press Release 08/11/08

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is informing the public that the new U.S. Passport Card may be used in the Employment Eligibility Verification form (I-9) process.  USCIS Press Release 08/08/08

TB Testing:  Some of the major changes to the TB requirements include:

·         Applicants with Class A tuberculosis must complete a full course of TB treatment before receiving medical clearance by USCIS for adjustment of status.

·         A chest x-ray is required for all applicants with a tuberculin skin test (TST) reaction of less than 5 mm who have signs or symptoms of TB or immunosuppression.

·         A chest x-ray is required for all applicants with a TST reaction of more than 5 mm, including pregnant women.

·         Sputum cultures and drug susceptibility testing for positive cultures are required for applicants with chest x-ray findings suggestive of active TB disease.

Vaccinations:  The CDC has revised its vaccination requirements. As of July 1, 2008, the following additional vaccinations are required in order to adjust status to legal permanent resident:

                        Rotavirus

                        Hepatitis A

                        Meningococcal

                        Human papillomavirus

                        Zoster

New Form I-693: The revised Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (edition date 04/02/08), became effective on May 1, 2008. USCIS allowed for a 30 day grace period in which it would accept the prior version of Form I-693. Therefore any medical exam conducted on or after June 1, 2008 must be recorded on a revised Form I-693.

USCIS Questions & Answers 07/24/08