The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues to make significant changes to its forms and eligibility requirements for certain types of visas.
After changes to H1B visa policies and the conditions for obtaining a green card through marriage, asylum seekers, refugees, and their families are now the focus of updates to USCIS procedures.
The U.S. immigration and citizenship agency recently updated its policy manual for refugee and asylee families.
Asylum seekers can now include their spouses in their applications, and pregnant women can also include their unborn children.
The updated policy manual recognizes informal marriages for the purpose of obtaining derivative refugee or asylee status. This means that in cases where an official marriage certificate is unavailable, applicants can provide alternative evidence of their marital relationship.
USCIS also recognizes unborn children as eligible family members, under certain conditions.
Children conceived but not yet born at the time a parent is admitted as a refugee or has their asylum application approved can now be considered beneficiaries.
USCIS has introduced additional procedural changes to improve efficiency. For example, Form I-730 applications for “follow-on” refugee beneficiaries (FTJ-R) will now be processed exclusively by the USCIS International Operations Division. Beneficiaries must submit Form I-590 at the same time as Form I-730 to ensure that all necessary documentation is provided upfront.
Revised proof requirements for spouses include a marriage certificate, documentation of name changes, and proof of any prior dissolution of marriage. These adjustments are designed to reduce delays caused by incomplete or inconsistent documentation.
One of the key changes is the addition of a new section, Part C, to Volume 4 of the manual, entitled “Refugees and Asylees.” This section comprises five chapters and replaces outdated references in the adjudicator’s field manual and related memos.
Applicants seeking to reunite with family members must file a separate Form I-730 for each eligible relative within two years of the approval of their asylum application or admission to refugee status. However, USCIS allows exceptions to this time limit for humanitarian reasons.
To support applicants throughout this process, USCIS has also announced enhancements to its customer service for Form I-730 petitioners, ensuring that individuals have access to the resources and assistance they need to complete their cases.
In an effort to simplify and clarify immigration procedures, USCIS has updated its policy manual. The changes, which affect refugee and asylee families, are designed to make the application process more transparent and accessible.
The updates, effective immediately, provide detailed instructions on requirements, eligibility, documentation, and application processing. According to USCIS, the revisions are part of an effort to consolidate existing policies into a single, streamlined resource.
“This update is not intended to change existing policies or create new ones. Rather, it integrates existing guidance into the Policy Manual, streamlining USCIS immigration policy while removing outdated information,” USCIS stated in its announcement.
By codifying these changes in its Policy Manual, USCIS seeks to eliminate confusion, ensure consistency in decision-making, and provide greater transparency. These updates represent a step forward in making immigration policies more accessible to vulnerable populations, including refugees and asylees seeking to reunite with their families.