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The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2009, at 74 FR 61358, allowing for a 60day public comment period. USCIS received one comment for this information collection.

The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 5, 2010. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) USCIS Desk Officer. Co

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2009, at 74 FR 61360, allowing for a 60day public comment period. USCIS did not receive any comments for this information collection.

The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 5, 2010. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) USCIS Desk Off

It’s like a reminder from the USCIS for all its customers that authorization for the non-minister special immigrant religious worker program will expire on Oct. 1, 2008. The USCIS even said that the individuals applying to serve in the two non-minister categories of the program must either adjust their Status to permanent residence or apply for, and be admitted with, an immigrant visa before Oct. 1, 2008. The two expiring categories are special immigrant religious workers in professional or non-professional capacities within a religious vocation or occupation. The expiration date also applies to the accompanying spouses and children of these workers. Special immigrant religious workers entering the United States solely to carry on the vocation of a minister of a religious denomination are not impacted by the expiration date.

The CGFNS International, with its 30 years of experience testing international nurses, and AHEd Global Healthcare, Inc. (AGH) (a subsidiary of American Higher Education, Inc.), a global continuing education provider today announced the rollout of a pilot project in India for the CGFNS Assessment of General Nursing Knowledge (CGFNS-AGNK) examination. The CGFNS-AGNK test is an internationally validated exam developed to determine nurses’ capacity to apply their knowledge in the delivery of effective patient care. The CGFNS-AGNK will be used by schools of nursing and healthcare systems in India as a screening mechanism for measuring fundamental nursing knowledge and predicting work success for pre or post-licensed nurses.

CGFNS International and AHED Global Healthcare, Inc., a global continuing education provider, recently announced the rollout of a pilot project in India for the CGFNS Assessment of General Knowledge (CGFNS-AGNK) Examination. The pilot rollout in India focuses on enhancing the employability of nurses within India and in other non-US countries. The test does NOT substitute for the State Nursing Council Examination required for licensure in India. The test will be used by schools of nursing and healthcare systems in India as a screening mechanism for measuring fundamental nursing knowledge and predicting work success for pre or post-licensed nurses.

More than 39,000 individuals will become new citizens of the United States this week during special ceremonies hosted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to recognize Constitution Week. The naturalization ceremonies held September 17 through September 23 commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. The Naturalization ceremonies are scheduled for Citizenship Day, September 17 for as few as 20 citizenship applicants in St. Albans, Vermont, to as many as 3,000 applicants at Fenway Park in Boston.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that its Houston office at 126 North point will remain closed for business today and tomorrow (Sept. 15-16). Additionally, all three local Application Support Centers as well as the Houston Asylum Office (see locations below) will remain closed until Wednesday, Sept. 17.

The U.S. Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) are pleased to announce that they have successfully achieved the goal of admitting more than 12,000 Iraqi refugees to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program during fiscal year (FY) 2008.

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is an inter-agency effort involving a number of governmental and non-governmental partners, both overseas and domestically, whose mission is to resettle refugees in the United States. The U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) has overall management responsibility for the USRAP and has the lead in proposing admissions numbers and processing priorities. Within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has responsibility for interviewing refugee applicants and adjudicating applications for refugee status. Through its cooperative agreements with Overseas Processing Entities (OPE), PRM handles the intake of refugee referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and U.S. embassies, certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the prescreening of cases and the out-processing of individuals for travel to the United States.

The USCIS announced today that its Havana field office, located at located at: Calzada e/ L y M, Vedado, C. Havana, Cuba due to the Hurricane Ike. The office will remain closed until Wednesday, Sept. 10. but the USCIS at the same time is being generous to all its customers who are evacuated from their homes, by rescheduling all appointments until a time when it is safe to resume operations.

The DHS and the USCIS’ Ombudsman announced a significant decline in the number of pending FBI name checks for individuals seeking immigration benefits in the United States. FBI name checks, one of several security screening tools used by the USCIS, have delayed the adjudication of benefits for many thousands of applicants. The USCIS Ombudsman had identified FBI name check delays as one of the major hurdles to improved customer service at USCIS in his 2008 and 2007 Annual Reports to Congress.

The USCIS hosted two special Naturalization ceremonies in Iraq and Kuwait this week under which 235 military service members from 54 countries became the newest citizens of the United States. USCIS immigration officials volunteer to travel to combat theaters to conduct naturalization interviews and hold citizenship ceremonies for members of the U.S. military. Their tireless work, in several cases up until the last possible moment, ensured that 192 service members recited the Oath of Allegiance during a ceremony at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. Later in the week, USCIS officials also naturalized 20 service members at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.

In the interest of creating a more standardized, fair, and meaningful naturalization process, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently completed a multi-year redesign of the Naturalization test. The revised test, with an emphasis on the fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of US Citizenship, will help encourage citizenship applicants to learn and identify with the basic values we all share as Americans.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to temporarily close offices, if necessary, along the Gulf of Mexico coastline in the projected path of Hurricane Gustav. If an office is closed, or our customers are evacuated from their homes, USCIS will automatically reschedule all appointments until a time when it is safe to resume operations.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on August 25, 2008 announced that 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.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have informed USCIS that the Zoster vaccine, which is one of the new vaccination requirements effective July 1, 2008 for the applicants age 60 and older, is currently unavailable due to shipping delays by the manufacturer. The Zoster vaccine is even listed on the revised edition of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (06/05/08 edition date). Until further notice from the CDC, one has to be aware that a Form I-693 may be accepted if it is only missing the zoster vaccine. Civil surgeons may notate it on the form as “vaccine not available”.

The USCIS released the Q & A regarding the extension of the Temporary Protected Status for the nationals of Sudan people having no nationality who last habitually resided in Sudan. The extension will last 18 months, through May 2, 2010. This extension does not apply to citizens of Sudan who entered the United States after Oct. 7, 2004. Certain nationals of Sudan who have not previously applied for TPS may be able to apply under the late initial registration process.

The USCIS reminds its customers to use the correct version of the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765) dated 05/27/08. The edition date appears in the lower right hand corner of the form as “Form I-765 (Rev. 05/27/08) N". Submission of an earlier version of Form I-765 may result in rejection of the application. The main purpose of the Form I-765 is to allow certain aliens in the United States to request employment authorization and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 15, 2008 a series of proposed rule changes that will streamline procedures for hiring workers under the H-2B program. These changes are being proposed in further fulfillment of the commitment made by the Administration last August, after the failure of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, to review and improve visa programs for temporary workers on H-2B using existing authorities. The proposed rule, which has been sent to the Federal Register, supplements the extensive reforms of the H-2B program already proposed by the Department of Labor in its proposed rule published on May 22.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Sudan through May 2, 2010. The extension will offer those who have already been granted TPS an opportunity to re-register and maintain their status for an additional 18 months. TPS does not apply to Sudanese nationals who entered the United States after Oct. 4, 2007.