Saturday, January 16, 2021

USCIS to Replace Sticker That Extends Validity of Green Cards

 
 

Release Date pdf
01/12/2021
Starting in January, we will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (PRC or “Green Card”), with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action. LPRs file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, when their Green Cards expire or are about to expire. The revised Form I-797 notice will serve as a receipt notice for the Form I-90. 

When presented together with the Green Card, the revised Form I-797 notice will extend the Green Card’s validity for 12 months from the date on the front of the Green Card and will serve as temporary proof of the LPR’s status. This change ensures that LPRs with a recently expired Green Card will have documentation of identity, employment authorization, and authorization to return to the United States following temporary foreign travel.  

Form I-90 applicants who have not been issued a notice for a biometrics appointment and are in possession of their Green Card, will no longer have to visit an application support center to obtain temporary evidence of LPR status. Applicants who have already been scheduled for a biometrics appointment will not receive a revised notice and will be issued an extension sticker at their biometrics appointment. 

Starting in January, applicants who file Form I-90 to replace an expiring Green Card will receive the revised receipt notice in the mail approximately 7-10 days after USCIS accepts their application. This notice will be printed on secure paper and will serve as evidence of identity and employment authorization when presented with an expired Green Card. 

For questions specific to employment, please see I-9 Central. For more information, visit our Replace Your Green Card page.

Friday, January 15, 2021

USCIS Lockbox Updates (DELAYED Receipt Notices for N-400, I-485, I-765, F-1)

  


DELAYED Receipt Notices for N-400, I-485, I-765, F-1
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, USCIS is experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for some applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. The information below explains the current state of our lockbox operations and the issues affecting receipt notices.
Current Situation
As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, an increase in filings, current postal service volume and other external factors, you may experience a delay of four to six weeks in receiving your receipt notice after properly filing an application or petition with a USCIS lockbox. These delays will not affect the receipt date which is determined pursuant to 8 C.F.R. 103.2(a)(7).
Delays may vary among form types and lockbox locations. In some cases, you may experience significant delays if you filed a non-family based Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, based on eligibility categories described in 8 C.F.R. 274a.12(c)(3), relating to F-1 students.
The health and safety of our workforce remains a top priority. Across all USCIS offices, including lockbox facilities, the agency has taken necessary measures such as increased social distancing and frequent cleaning in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control guidance to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Some lockbox operations in locations that have been severely impacted by COVID-19 must adhere to stricter local guidelines.
What USCIS Is Doing The USCIS lockbox workforce1 is working extra hours and redistributing its workload in order to minimize delays. Once we open and process your application, we print and mail the receipt notice. We do not anticipate any receipting delays that would result in a payment that is past its validity date. What You Can Do If you have already filed your application and are waiting for your receipt notice, we appreciate your patience. We are working as quickly as possible to complete the intake of all filings. You can take steps to decrease the time it takes us to process and send your receipt notice or find out the status of your case: • File online (if this option is available for your form type) and receive immediate confirmation that we have received your form instead of waiting for the mail; • Create a free USCIS online account and check the status of your case from your mobile device, anywhere, anytime using our case status online tool; or • Complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the front of your form when filing at a USCIS lockbox to request a text message and/or email when we accept your form. Finally, visit our Form Filing Tips webpage for more information on filing with USCIS and our online tools for help in managing your application. 1. File online 
2a. USCIS online account 
https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/how...
2b. Check your case status online
https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/lan...
3. Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
https://www.uscis.gov/g-1145
4. Form Filing Tips

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Citizenship Winter Class 02

 


Fall Citizenship Zoom Class is Tue and Thu 7:00-8:30 pm PDT
For one-on-one interviews 6:00-7:00 pm--email Teacher Jennifer jgagliar@musd.org

Zoom: ID: 597 738 4168, Password: 226317 
Direct Link to the Winter Citizenship Zoom Class 

N-400
Civics
Integration

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

US House to Vote on Impeaching Trump Later This Week

3:07 pm PST Trump impeached by the House of Representatives!
Next step: the Senate will have a trial and 67 senators must vote to impeach.
Note: the Senate is closed until Jan 19 and Biden will be inaugurated Jan 20.
 
 


Congressional Democrats pursue options for removing Trump from office


USCIS 100:12. What is the “rule of law”?
  • Everyone must follow the law.
  • Leaders must obey the law.
  • Government must obey the law.
  • No one is above the law.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Citizenship Winter Class 01


Fall Citizenship Zoom Class is Tue and Thu 7:00-8:30 pm PDT
For one-on-one interviews 6:00-7:00 pm--email Teacher Jennifer jgagliar@musd.org

Zoom: ID: 597 738 4168, Password: 226317 
Direct Link to the Winter Citizenship Zoom Class 

Warm-up
  • read and write pdf
  • si.edu: Preparing for the Oath quiz
  • Cambridge Ventures Arcade: Citizenship Preparing for the N-400 pdf

Preparing for Naturalization
N-400
Civics
Integration
  • Naturalization Picture Vocabulary Quiz pdf
  • Beginning Interview Picture Vocabulary Quiz pdf

Monday, January 11, 2021

Friday, January 8, 2021

Facing Threats of Removal, Trump Says He is ‘Outraged’ by Violence

 
 

 The president acknowledges a new administration will be inaugurated and commits to a smooth transition of power 

See Also:

VOA Learning English: What do the rest of the Amendments say? The 25th Amendment

USCIS 100:30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
▪ the Vice President

USCIS 100:31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
▪ the Speaker of the House

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Citizenship Fall Class 37

It is Jan 2021, but we are still in the 2020 Winter quarter.  
Next week, we begin the new 2021 Winter quarter
 


Fall Citizenship Zoom Class is Tue and Thu 7:00-8:30 pm PDT
For one-on-one interviews 6:00-7:00--email Teacher Jennifer jgagliar@musd.org

Direct Link to the Fall Citizenship Zoom Class 

Warm-up
  • read and write pdf
  • si.edu: Preparing for the Oath quiz
  • Cambridge Ventures Arcade: Citizenship Preparing for the N-400 pdf
N-400
    Civics
    Integration
    • Mei-Lin Chen: A Quick Interview for New Year  pdf
    Extra:





    Tuesday, January 5, 2021

    Citizenship Fall Class 36

    It is Jan 2021, but we are still in the 2020 Winter quarter.  
    Next week, we begin the new 2021 Winter quarter
     


    Fall Citizenship Zoom Class is Tue and Thu 7:00-8:30 pm PDT
    For one-on-one interviews 6:00-7:00--email Teacher Jennifer jgagliar@musd.org

    Direct Link to the Fall Citizenship Zoom Class 

    Warm-up
    • read and write pdf
    • si.edu: Preparing for the Oath quiz
    • Cambridge Ventures Arcade: Citizenship Preparing for the N-400 pdf
    N-400
    • Overview of the Revised N-400 Part 12 pdf
    • N-400r Part 12 Overview pptx via Google Slides 
    • N-400r Part 12 Overview Vocabulary (pdf of pptx
    • N-400r Part 12 Overview Quiz (27 questions) pdf
        Civics
        Integration
        • Yésica Sánchez: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs about Voting and Elections pdf

        Sunday, January 3, 2021

        2021: New Year, New Citizen!

         
          
        uscitizenpod: 2021: New Year, New Citizen!

        We talk about the Oath of Allegiance and N-400 art 12:45-50 words and definitions.

        N-400 Application for Naturalization

        Attachment to the Constitution
        N-400 Part 12:45-50

        Oath of Allegiance
        N-400 Part 18

        Friday, January 1, 2021

        New Year! New Citizen!



        New Year's Day

        Thursday, December 31, 2020

        USCIS Application Support Centers Updates

        uscitizenpod: USCIS Application Support Centers Updates, December 29, 2020

        USCIS: USCIS Application Support Centers Updates, Dec 29, 2020 https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSCISINVITE/2020/12/29/file_attachments/1635668/ASC%20Updates.pdf

        Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USCIS has experienced delays in scheduling or rescheduling application support center (ASC) appointments to collect biometrics. Current processing times are affected by several variables including demand and capacity at individual ASCs. The information below may help you understand what to expect with your biometrics appointment. Safely Reopening ASCs USCIS temporarily suspended in-person services between March and June to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and ensure employee and applicant safety. As a result, we cancelled approximately 280,000 appointments. USCIS began a phased reopening of our ASCs in July, after we installed protective screens and incorporated proper social distancing measures across 132 sites. Since reopening, there have been sporadic and temporary ASC closures for reasons such as local stay-at-home orders, COVID-19-related cleaning and extreme weather. From July to September, ASCs were operating at below 50 percent of pre-COVID levels. By late October, we increased ASC operations to approximately 65 percent of pre-COVID levels. Current State We are working to safely maximize appointment capacity at ASCs and are also reusing previously collected biometrics to conduct background and security checks when authorized by law. Based on capacity limitations unique to each ASC, we have not yet rescheduled all cancelled appointments. USCIS is scheduling approximately 10,400 appointments per day. Approximately 1.3 million applications are awaiting biometrics appointments as of mid-December. Applicants should continue to wait for an ASC appointment notice or a Form I-797, Notice of Action, from USCIS indicating that their previously collected biometrics may be reused. Priority of ASC Appointments Biometrics appointments are scheduled based on the prioritization of benefit types, considering adjudication capacity and processing times. Within a benefit type, USCIS generally schedules appointments on a first-in, first-out basis. The wait time for appointments will vary geographically, based on capacity and varying demand at individual ASC locations. Biometrics Reuse USCIS is authorized to reuse biometrics under limited circumstances, and usually where we must verify an individual’s identity and the case is otherwise ready to adjudicate. If USCIS will reuse biometrics for a pending application, we will mail a Form I-797 notice to the applicant stating that we will be reusing the applicant’s biometrics and that the applicant is not required to appear at an ASC. Not all applications meet the requirements for biometrics reuse. Walk-ins Because of our COVID facility constraints, we cannot process walk-ins for biometrics collection except for military applicants and their family members when the principal applicant is scheduled for an appointment. Before visiting any USCIS facility, check the USCIS Office Closings webpage for the current operating status. For more information about USCIS ASCs, visit our ASC information webpage. Please use our online tools for help in managing your application and to track the status of your case. If you have questions that are not addressed in your appointment notice, you may connect with the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS Application Support Centers Updates https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSCISINVITE/2020/12/29/file_attachments/1635668/ASC%20Updates.pdf Dec 13, 2020 What's happening with USCIS Biometrics Appointments? https://youtu.be/sqgdBXfkV_w Dec 21, 2020 BIOMETRICS Plus USCIS TOOLS: Case Status, Case Inquiry, & Processing Times https://youtu.be/BN1sGQjx1tw More links:

        Wednesday, December 30, 2020

        Eric Liu on the meaning of patriotism

         
         
         
        Former White House speechwriter Eric Liu, author of the new book "Become America," speaks on true patriots, such as his immigrant parents from China, and those for whom patriotism means not blind faith but constant responsibility in being citizens. 

        Also see:

        St. John's Church Lafayette Square: Eric Liu: The Concept of American Citizenship

        Tuesday, December 29, 2020

        George Washington Remembers Crossing The Delaware

         

        George Washington's Mount Vernon: George Washington Remembers Crossing The Delaware 

        General George Washington reminiscences the crossing the Delaware River, on the evening of December 25, 1776. A day that forever changed history. Learn more about the Battle of Trenton


        USCIS 100:69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
        • (George) Washington
        USCIS 100:70. Who was the first President?*
        • (George) Washington
        USCIS 128:80. The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
        • (Battle of) Bunker Hill
        • Declaration of Independence
        • Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
        • (Battle of) Saratoga
        • Valley Forge (Encampment)
        • (Battle of) Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)
        USCIS 128:86. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.*
        • Father of Our Country
        • First president of the United States
        • General of the Continental Army
        • President of the Constitutional Convention

        Monday, December 28, 2020

        Citizenship Resources for Kwanzaa



        uscitizenpod: Two Citizenship Questions for a Joyous Kwanzaa!

        Kwanzaa is a week long celebration (Dec 25 to Jan 1) held in the United States to honor universal African heritage and culture. 

        Kwanzaa is a celebration that came out of the black nationalist movement of the 1960s. 

        It was created as a way to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage.

        Every night, people light a candle on a kinara (candle holder) which represent Kwanzaa's principles: 

        Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.  source https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa


        For the full quiz, see Citizenship Quiz for Kwanzaa

        Also checkout