Degree Equivalency Requirements for Form I-140

Degree Equivalency Requirements for Immigration Form I-140

Those who are applying for an employment-based Green Card in the second or third preference, need to submit evidence to proove that he/she has the educational requirements needed to perform the job being offered by a specific U.S. employer. 

The educational requirements for the offered job will be listed on your approved Labor Certification (Form 9089).

Source

USCIS' Electronic Immigration System (ELIS)

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is coming up with a new system "Electronic Immigration System (ELIS)"  to transform their paper-based system into an electronic one.


They are currently on the testing stage of what they call, “a simplified, Web-based system that will allow customers to submit and track their applications online and enhance USCIS’ ability to process cases with greater accuracy, security and timeliness.”


Source:
USCIS' ELIS

2013 Green Card Lottery

Those who've entered their names in the Green Card Lottery last year, must have received their submission confirmation numbers and keep the information safely for it is going to be needed for future status verification.

On May 01, 2012, all entrants may check the status of their entries to check if their entries are selected or not.
Source:
Green Card Lottery 2013 Has Ended

The Latest Immigration News Source

Want to know what's happening in U.S.? Curious about the local immigration issues?

Then be informed about the latest immigration news and headlines.

Immigration Direct is your online guide to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Issues.


Read the latest immigration articles at:

http://www.immigrationdirect.com/immigration-news/index.html

EAD and Certificate of Citizenship Update

EAD and Certificate of Citizenship Update



The new EAD design feature will provide workers, employers and law enforcement a better way to identify the EAD card as well as providing proof of authorization to work in the U.S. The new Certificate of Citizenship will make it impossible to alter the information on the certificate.

More at:

Where to File a Citizenship Application?

The status of being a US citizen is surely a thing to be treasured. It can give great happiness to the individual and a sense of truly belonging to the nation. As a result of becoming a US citizen, the individual gets to enjoy many special privileges and benefits that are reserved only for the citizens. The path towards the citizenship status is not a bed of roses. It involves many years of wait and completion of various procedures. But it is all definitely worth the while.

Preliminary Requisites before Filing-in Your Citizenship Application

The first and the most important criterion for becoming a US citizen is to become a Legal Permanent Resident (i.e.) Green Card Holder. An individual should have been a Green Card holder for the past

• 5yrs if it is a regular Green Card
• 3yrs if it is a Conditional Green Card and should continue to be living with the US citizen husband/wife at the time of filing in the citizenship application

Only an individual who is 18 yrs of age can file in to get naturalized as a US citizen. Continuous residence requirement needs to be strictly adhered to the USCIS norms – 5yrs for normal Green card Holders and 3 yrs in the case of those married to US citizens. Staying in the US, that too in terms of physical presence, for a period of 30 months is mandatory. Additionally, a compulsory 3 month stay in the address of residence provided on the citizenship application is also a part of the requirements.

What Are the Requirements for Applying For U.S Citizenship?

US citizenship is the highest privilege offered by the US constitution to its people. Although this status matters a great deal to the people, it is not easy to become a US citizen. The easiest path to become a US citizen is by the birthright citizenship (i.e.) getting automatic citizenship status by being born on the US soil. As per the US law on citizenship, anybody who is born in the US or in its outlying islands will automatically become US citizen. This is the main reason for illegal alien mothers to deliver their babies on US soil. The US Federal Government is still at a loss to find a solution for this so called ‘anchor baby’ problem.

Pre-requisites in Applying for US Citizenship

Apart from those who become citizens by birth or acquire citizenship though their parents, there is also a category of immigrants who get naturalized as US citizens. Although the first two categories have already become citizens in their own way, they need to get a proper documentation of that status. It is the third category that needs to undergo a long and a tedious process to get that coveted status. The very first thing, which applicants need to do before applying for US citizenship, is to learn about the citizenship application process. The eligibility conditions and the processing time may be different for each category which makes it necessary for the applicants to know about the process beforehand.

Basic Eligibility Criteria

• Should be at least 18 yrs of age
• Should be in possession of a valid Green card.
• Should have lived in the US as a permanent resident for minimum 5yrs ( 3 yrs for a conditional resident)
• Should have accumulated the stipulated years of continuous residence in the US
• Should not have made any longer trips which are greater than 6 months out of the US.
• Should have maintained 30 months of physical presence in the country, out of which 3 months should have been definitely present in the state or district from which he/she is applying for US citizenship

Being a person of good moral character with the natural urge to serve the country when called upon to do so and showing a great attachment to the constitution is also a must for applicants. Since clearing the citizenship test is mandatory, knowledge about the US constitution is also a must.

Requirements for Military Personnel

There is no better and direct way of serving one’s country than being a part of the Armed forces. And the US Government makes sure that it acknowledges the selfless service of the military personnel by granting then citizenship very easily. Although they need to qualify to become eligible, they do not have to follow the general, long route for applying for US citizenship. If the service members had served in the major wars like the World Wars, then they are exempted from the permanent resident and continuous residence criteria. They can also get naturalized fast (Expedited naturalization) and while they are commissioned abroad (Overseas naturalization)

Getting a clear idea of the application process will help the applicants to complete their forms without errors and submit them quickly. In general, a person who is thinking of applying for US citizenship should ensure that he/she satisfies all the following conditions on the qualifications checklist.