Newsletter: February 2024
February 19, 2024
Immigration and Citizenship Community News February 2024
Hello Comets,
Welcome to the first edition of the Immigration and Citizenship community newsletter. We aim to provide updates aimed at managing non-immigrant, immigrant and citizenship related updates for the UT Dallas community in the following categories (LPR, Refugee, Asylee, H-4, L-2, and more).
The Office of Immigrant and Citizenship Services (OICS) is here for you!
The UT Dallas International Center is launching a new office, the Office of Immigration and citizenship Services (OICS). Our mission is to provide specific immigration and citizenship services, referrals and advocacy to support the matriculation, retention, graduation, and professional success of our students and community.
OICS will provide basic immigration support and referrals to over 2,500 students including
- Nonimmigrant students including H, K, R, L and other categories, not F or J.
- Legal Permanent Residents, including conditional residents and those pending permanent residency.
- Students without valid immigration status, including those who are DACA recipients and those who are out of status.
- Asylees, TPS, Refugees.
OICS is able to provide general immigration information, but we are not able to provide specific legal advice. Our obligation to UT Dallas immigrant and non-immigrant students is to provide advising and referrals as needed. Specific legal advice is available, should students seek such advice, through dedicated channels outside OICS.
We look forward to meeting you and learning about your needs. At any time, we invite you to provide ideas, suggestions or feedback on how we may better support you.
USCIS Fee Increases Published Impacting Naturalization and Asylum Fees, among others
USCIS is primarily funded by fees charged to applicants and petitioners for immigration and naturalization benefit requests. DHS is adjusting the fee schedule for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) immigration benefit requests. The fee table at the Frequently Asked Questions page includes a full list of the revised USCIS forms that will go into effect on April 1, 2024, along with the new fees.
Temporary Protected Status Updates
The Department of Homeland Security recently published a Federal Register notice reiterating the extensions of the periods to re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the existing designations of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. The re-registration period for each country is changing from 60 days to the full length of each country’s current TPS designation extension.
The 18-month re-registration period for current TPS beneficiaries under the designation of:
- El Salvador is currently open and now runs through March 9, 2025;
- Haiti is currently open and now runs through Aug. 3, 2024;
- Honduras is currently open and runs through July 5, 2025;
- Nepal is currently open and runs through June 24, 2025;
- Nicaragua is currently open and runs through July 5, 2025; and
- Sudan is currently open and now runs through April 19, 2025.
The Federal Register notice does not change the eligibility requirements or add any newly eligible beneficiaries. It simply extends the period when existing beneficiaries may re-register for their benefits.
USCIS Updates Guidance and Clarifies Policy on Family-Based Conditional Permanent Residence
Under the Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986, a noncitizen obtains permanent resident status on a conditional basis for two years if:
- They obtain permanent resident status based on marriage; and
- That marriage began less than two years before they obtain that status.
To remove the conditions on their permanent resident status, conditional permanent residents generally must file Form I-751 within the 90-day period before the two-year anniversary of when they obtained conditional permanent resident status. For more information, see the Policy Update. (PDF, 316.67 KB)
Update your address New Online Change of Address Tool
All noncitizens in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days (except A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors) of moving. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has launched a new Change of Address (E-COA) self-service tool to allow customers with pending applications, petitions, or requests to update their address with USCIS more easily and eliminating the need to update the address in multiple places; fill out a paper AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card; call the Contact Center; or visit a USCIS Field or Asylum Office; exceptions are listed at uscis.gov/addresschange). Please note that changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change your address with USCIS.
Received income in 2023?
All non-resident aliens who resided in the United States between January 1 and December 31 of 2023 must file a U.S. tax form. UT Dallas has arranged access to Sprintax Tax Preparation to assist with your Federal tax return. Sprintax is an online tax preparation software, specifically for nonresident alien students and is available at no cost to you if you are eligible to file as a non-resident for tax purposes.
Help Keep our Campus Safe and Welcoming
All members of our University community share in a collective responsibility to make our campus peers feel welcome and safe. Stand up and step in by recognizing potentially harmful situations (physical, mental, social or emotional) affecting individuals or groups, and respond in a way that could positively influence the outcome. For more information, visit Comet Voice.
OICS is here for you
You can reach out via email to OICS or through your iComet Portal, for nonimmigrant categories.
Warm regards,
Office of Immigrant and Citizenship Services
The University of Texas at Dallas