When Immigration Matters

As part of USCIS’s ongoing efforts to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, the state-of-the-art technology incorporated into the new documents will deter counterfeiting, obstruct tampering, and facilitate quick and accurate authentication. USCIS begins issuing the new EADs today October 24, 2011 and will begin using the redesigned certificates on Oct. 30. The agency anticipates that more than 1 million people will receive the new documents over the next year. 

WASHINGTON -  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announces today the launch of new web features designed to expand users’ access to their case information. As part of USCIS’s commitment to improve customer service, these enhancements include a new online inquiry tool and tailored case status information, as well as new features for Spanish-speaking customers available at USCIS.gov/espanol.

As part of an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, Alejandro Mayorkas the newly minted Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sounded alarm bells on Monday over the possible expiration of a program used to verify the legal status of workers in the country.  The E-Verify program is set to expire at the end of this month unless Congress reauthorizes it.  This is significant because the USCIS is already considering changes in E-Verify on the assumption Congress eventually will pass comprehensive immigration reform that would give legal status to millions of undocumented workers in the country. This raises questions about how the agency can handle the anticipated rise in inquiries to check a worker's immigration status against Homeland Security Department and Social Security Administration databases.  Read more in Chris Strohm's article, Official:  E-Verify Changes are int the works appearing in Congress Daily.