Hello Everyone, and happy Spring!
We have a few logistical immigration items to discuss this month. First, at the end of March, USCIS removed the requirement that civil surgeons sign Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before an individual applies for an underlying immigration benefit, including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. USCIS will now be able to accept Form I-693 for adjudicative purposes for up to 2 years after the date the civil surgeon signed the form.
In other news, on March 23rd, USCIS announced that it is finally ending the COVID-19 related flexibilities it had implemented in 2020. Most critically, this means that many immigration forms that were temporarily allowing digital signatures will return to requiring ink signatures on the original.
Finally, please note that USCIS occasionally changes the filing location for certain applications, and they notably did so on March 30:
- Changed the filing location to Tempe, AZ for courier delivery services for FedEx, UPS, and DHL for the USCIS Phoenix lockbox. The filing location remains the same when using the U.S. Postal Service
- Changed the filing location for applicants and/or petitioners filing certain forms.
Applications and petitions that are not mailed to the appropriate filing location may experience processing delays.
Have questions about your immigration case? We are here to help! Reach out to me to discuss your options!