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Fall
2007
USCIS PPROPOSES REPLACEMENT OF GREEN CARDS WITHOUT
EXPIRATION DATES
USCIS has proposed to require
nearly 750,000 lawful permanent residents carrying green cards without an
expiration date to replace their current cards. The proposed rule would
require lawful permanent residents to apply for a new Permanent Resident
Card (Form I-551) during a 120-day filing period. USCIS said the change
would allow the agency to issue more secure permanent resident cards,
update cardholder information, conduct background checks, and
electronically store applicants' fingerprint and photographic
information.
In August 1989, the former
Immigration and Naturalization Service began issuing new cards with a
10-year expiration date and required residents to apply periodically for
a new card. Between 1979 and 1989, however, the cards were issued without
expiration dates. These latter cards are the subject of the proposed
rule.
Under the proposed rule,
affected lawful permanent residents would file an Application to Replace
Lawful Permanent Residence Card (Form I-90). The I-90 requires applicants
to provide current biographic and biometric (photographs and fingerprint)
information. There will be a high filing fee associated with this of $400
proposed.
In addition to proposing a
120-day filing period, the rule also would remove all references in the
regulations to outdated I-90 application procedures and correct the title
and edition date of the I-90. Finally, under the rule, USCIS would be
able to terminate permanent resident cards without an expiration date via
notice in the Federal Register.
KAPLAN AND CGFNS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO PROVIDE ONLINE AND
OFFLINE NURSING EDUCATION AND TEST PREPARATION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Kaplan, a leading
international provider of educational and career services, and the
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International),
a leading provider of nursing certification and professional development,
announced a preliminary agreement to create a strategic alliance to
develop online and offline nursing education and test preparation
products and services.
The planned Kaplan/CGFNS
Advantage Program, Knowledge for Nursing, will provide co-branded nursing
education and test preparation products and services to hospital
organizations, international schools of nursing, and individual
international nurses.
USCIS ANNOUNCES NEW NATURALIZATION TEST
USCIS announced the 100
questions and answers that comprise the civics component of the new
naturalization test to be administered beginning October 8, 2007.
For more information about the
redesigned naturalization test, please see our Online Resources section.
DV-2009 LOTTERY REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGAN IN OCTOBER
The DV-2009
immigrant diversity visa lottery online entry period began at noon
on October 3, 2007, and will ends at noon on December 2, 2007.
Additional
information regarding eligibility and instructions for filing
are posted at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html
USCIS ADDS PHOTO VERIFICATION FOR I-9S
In late September, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify (formerly Basic Pilot)
work authorization verification system added access to photographs. The
photo tool will be available when a new employee presents an Employment
Authorization Document (EAD) or Permanent Resident Card (green card) to
complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9).
It allows an employer to
compare identical photos: the individual’s photograph on the EAD or green
card against the image stored in USCIS’s databases. The tool is intended
to help an employer determine whether the document presented “reasonably
relates to the individual presenting it” and contains a valid photo.
Employers currently participating in E-Verify were trained on the system
enhancement through a mandatory refresher tutorial that launched
automatically on September 17, 2007. New employers who registered
after that date are learning how to use the photo tool through an updated
E-Verify manual, tutorial, and memorandum of understanding.
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