New U.S. Passport Card Being Issued

The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced recently that the new U.S. Passport Card is in full production and is now being distributed. The Passport Card is a convenient, wallet-sized document for land and sea travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is not valid for international travel by air. Beginning in June 2009, travelers will be required to present a single Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant document denoting both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border. More than 350,000 Americans pre-ordered the U.S. Passport Cards since the State Department began taking orders on February 1. Over 7,600 cards have already been mailed to advance customers, and all pre-orders are expected to be filled by September 30, 2008.
The Passport Card is available for $45 for first-time adult applicants and $35 for children under 16. Adults who currently have valid passports can apply for the passport card by mail for $20.
Information on how to apply for a U.S. Passport Card or the traditional passport book is at travel.state.gov.

USCIS changes vaccination requirements for Green Card applicants

The USCIS announced recently that is has revised its list of vaccines required for applicants seeking to adjust status to U.S. Residency. The new vaccination requirements as part of the immigration medical examination include the following age-appropriate additional vaccinations: Rotavirus, Hepatitis A, Meningococcal, Human papillomavirus and Zoster. The requirements for these new vaccines went into effect on July 1, 2008, however there is a 30-day grace period for any medical exam conducted before August 1, 2008. After August 1, the new vaccinations, if appropriate, must be administered in order for USCIS to approve the applicant for adjustment of status. The new revised (June 5, 2008 edition) medical examination form I-693 includes these new vaccination requirements. Physicians designated by the USCIS should have the new form, however, as a safeguard, you may take the new revised form with you to your examination. That way, if the physician does not yet have the new USCIS form and guidelines, you will have the form ready. You may download the form by going to the USCIS.gov website or stop by our office to pick up a free form set.

Two-year EADs and reported errors on EAD cards

The USCIS recently clarified the policy for eligibility for two-year employment authorization documents (EAD). The new two year EAD cards will be issued only for individuals who have refugee status, or have a pending employment-based Application for Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) based upon an approved I-140 and only if there is not an available visa number for the case, based upon the cutoff dates established in the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin.

IMMIGRATION Q&A

Question: My Florida driver’s license expired last month and I went to the driver’s license office to get it renewed and they said they could not since the immigration receipt that I had from my sister sponsoring me was more than three years old. I am just so worried now. I don’t want to drive illegal, but the bus route is so far from my home, I just don’t know what I will do now. I have waited so long for my immigration papers, but I don’t want to get caught driving illegally. Is there anything else I can do?

Answer: You are experiencing a common problem. The Florida Dept of Motor Vehicle policy is to only issue or renew Driver’s Licenses to individuals who have immigration receipts no older than three years. One alternative if available, is for another qualifying family member to sponsor you, including another brother or sisters, or a parent or adult child. Another alternative is to move to a state which does not require proof of immigration status for Driver’s License issuance. At last report, there are only seven remaining states – Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington which allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses.