USCIS Launches Informational Video on the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today posted an
informational video on its Web site that provides an overview of the agency’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. The new video describes the immigration status verification process and explains how federal, state, and local benefit-granting agencies can apply to participate in the program. USCIS encourages agencies to view the video to determine if the SAVE program is appropriate for their immigration status verification needs. The SAVE program is an intergovernmental initiative that assists benefit-granting agencies in determining an applicant’s immigration status. The program ensures that only entitled applicants receive federal, state or local public benefits and licenses. Additionally, SAVE offers eligible agencies an efficient, secure and cost-effective method of immigration status verification. Specifically, the program checks the applicant’s information against millions of federal database records. Currently, more than 300 agencies are enrolled in the SAVE program. The video, along with additional information about the SAVE program, is available at www.uscis.gov/SAVE or by submitting a request to SAVE.help@dhs.gov (write “SAVE Informational Video” in the subject line.
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Effective January 12, 2009, all foreign nationals traveling to the US under the Visa Waiver Program ("VWP") must comply with Electronic System for Travel Authorization ("ESTA") requirements. ESTA is a web-based system that determines the preliminary eligibility of individuals to enter the United States. Since its launch in August 2008, more than 1.2 million ESTA applications have been processed, resulting in an approval rating of greater than 99.6 percent. Most applications are processed in seconds, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ("DHS")..jpg)
Foreign nationals citizens of VWP countries, who are seeking entry to the U.S. with a visa instead of .jpg)
under the VWP, do not need to use ESTA. While an ESTA approval is required before a VWP traveler can board an international carrier bound for the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol ("CBP") may still deny entry to a VWP traveler.
DHS' Krome Detention Center in Miami launched a new program aimed to speed up immigration court proceedings immigrants facing deportation.
“This program is extraordinarily important because there are people in the detained setting that are giving up their rights’ to stay in the country,” said Linda Osberg-Braun, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s South Florida chapter.
In a July 11, 2008 statement of policy (73 Fed. Reg. 40008), the U.S. Department of State (“USDOS”) notified the public that effective June 1, 2010, it will exercise its authority under 22 C.F.R. § 62.62 to terminate the J program designations of all eight sponsors of J-1 flight training programs, having determined these programs “no longer further the public diplomacy mission of the Department of State.” USDOS, however, noted that all eight flight training programs are also designated in the M-1 category. .jpg)
22 CFR 62.63: they must fulfill their responsibilities to all exchange visitors who are in the United States at the time of their program termination until the individual’s exchange program is completed. Also, sponsors must notify prospective exchange visitors who have not yet entered the United States that the program has been terminated. Sponsors will have access to SEVIS to manage their existing program participants, but will not be able to initiate new programs after December 31, 2009. 