The following additional items may be of interest to our readers:
TPS Extended for Eligible Nationals from Syria: USCIS has extended the existing designation of Syria for TPS for 18 months, from Oct. 1, 2013, through March 31, 2015, due to the ongoing armed conflict in Syria. USICS has also extended to March 31, 2015, the suspension of certain requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students whose country of citizenship is Syria and who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil unrest in Syria.
Majority of DACA Cases Approved: USCIS statistics on DACA cases indicate that almost 90 percent of all cases adjudicated thus far have been approved. Of the 365,000 cases approved, about 3,800 have been denied.Â
Florida, Mississippi, and Idaho Participate in RIDE Program: Idaho now joins Mississippi and Florida in participating in a program called the RIDE (Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify) program, an initiative through which E-Verify is able to confirm information from drivers’ licenses and state identification cards.
DOJ Enters into Memorandum of Understanding with NLRB: The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) of the Justice Department recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), formalizing a collaborative relationship that allows both agencies to share information, refer matters to each other, and coordinate investigations as appropriate. OSC is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which prohibit citizenship-status and national-origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment or referral for a fee, and discriminatory Form I-9 and E-Verify practices. The NLRB is an independent agency that protects the rights of most private-sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve their wages and working conditions.