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WASHINGTON—On July 1, 2010, the Vital Statistics Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico began issuing new, more secure certified copies of birth certificates to U.S. citizens born in Puerto Rico because of a new Puerto Rico birth certificate law. After Sept. 30, 2010, all certified copies of birth certificates issued prior to July 1, 2010, will become invalid. This new law does not affect the U.S. citizenship status of individuals born in Puerto Rico. It only affects the validity of certified copies of Puerto Rico birth certificates.

  Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC

Question Taken at the September 7, 2010 Daily Press Briefing

September 8, 2010

Question: Are there any laws or regulations regarding the issuing of visas to Chinese laborers to build the Martin Luther King monument if American workers are able to do the same work?

On August 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law Public Law 111-230. The new law contains provisions that require petitioners to pay an additional $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and an additional $2,250 for certain L-1 petitions. To begin public outreach on this legislation, USCIS held a teleconference on August 19, 2010 to share how USCIS will implement it.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it has completed the installation of its Digital Audio Recording (DAR) system in all of its courtrooms, four weeks ahead of schedule. The DAR system is a state-of-theart recording tool designed to achieve a better quality and more easily accessible recording of immigration court hearings.

Important Service Transition Announcement for All Visa Applicants

Form I-192: Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant

Form I-824: Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition

This memorandum establishes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy for the handling of removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOlR) involving applications or petitions filed by, or on behalf of, aliens in removal proceedings. This policy outlines a framework for ICE to request expedited adjudication ofan application or petition for an alien in removal proceedings that is pending before U.S.

The provision establishing the S visa in the INA was originally due to expire on September 13, 1999, but Congress had extended it until September 13, 2001. Aliens admitted through the S visa categories are designated as S-5 and S-6 nonimmigrants. Request for these visas must be filed by a state or federal law enforcement agency, and the filing agency must assume responsibility for the alien from their time of entry until their departure, or until they adjust status.

What is Electronic Processing?

The Immigrant Visa Electronic Processing Program is a pilot project which uses electronic communication and documentation methods to simplify and accelerate the immigrant visa application process. This program uses e-mail for communication and submission of all forms and documents to the NVC using the Portable Document Format (PDF).