The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, India has announced that it will no longer process Immigrant Visa petitions. As of January 1, 2012, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will be the only centers in the country that will accept and process Immigrant Visas. For more information, please visit the Consulate’s website.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced this afternoon that the quota for cap subject H-1B visas has officially been reached for the Fiscal Year 2012. USCIS will reject all cap-subject petitions for new H-1B specialty occupations workers with start dates in Fiscal Year 2012. Read more at: FY 2012 H-1B Cap Reached.

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) experienced technical difficulties with the Form I-797C, Notice of Action – Fingerprint Notification.  USCIS did not print and mail this form to asylum applicants living in California and Arizona between July 8, 2010 and August 4, 2010.

More details can be had here.

The Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have decided to suspend processing of new adoption cases from Nepal that involve children who are claimed to have been found abandoned, because documents presented in support of the abandonment of these children in Nepal have been found to be unreliable and circumstances of alleged abandonment cannot be verified because of obstacles in the investigation of individual cases.

Beginning Aug. 3, 2010, regardless of the location of the new commercial enterprise, petitioners submitting Form I-526 must mail their petitions to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility.  The filing address can be found in Form I-526 instructions at  www.uscis.gov.

The USCIS California Service Center will forward Forms I-526 to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility for 45 days.  After Sept. 17, 2010, the California Service Center will return all incorrectly filed petitions to the petitioner along with a note to send the petition to the correct location.

Beginning Aug. 3, 2010 all Form I-129F petitions being filed by a U.S. citizen on behalf of a fiancé(e)  or spouse must be submitted to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility.

For U.S. Postal Service:

USCIS
PO Box 660151
Dallas, TX 75266

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-129F
2501 South State Highway 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

Detailed guidance can be found in the updated Form I-129F instructions online at  www.uscis.gov (click on the Forms tab).

Beginning Aug. 3, 2010, those applicants filing to request initial benefits or an extension of Family Unity Benefits under Section 301 of IMMACT 90, should mail their application to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility.  Applicants submitting Form I-817 and filing under section 1504 of Public Law 106-554, LIFE Act, to request initial benefits or an extension of previously acquired Family Unity Program benefits, should continue to mail their application to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox.  The filing addressess can be found in the Form I-817 Instructions at  www.uscis.gov/forms.

Beginning Aug. 3, 2010 applicants submitting Form I-539 by itself must mail their application to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility.

Applicants submitting their Form I-539 with Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, will continue to submit both forms to either the USCIS California Service Center or the USCIS Vermont Service Center, according to the Form I-129 filing instructions.  Dependent applicants submitting Form I-539 applications at the same time should include their application in the package with the primary applicant.

Applicants filing Form I-539 under category “P-4, Dependents of Major League Sports” Athletes or Support Personnel, should continue to file their applications at the USCIS Vermont Service Center.

USCIS announced revised filing addresses for petitioners who live in Canada, and who are filing a stand-alone Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The new form is dated 6/14/10.  This form is now processed through the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility. Detailed guidance can be found in updated form instructions at www.uscis.gov/forms.

Form I-140 filed alone or together with an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485) should be filed at the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility, or at the USCIS Nebraska or Texas Service Centers, depending on the classification for which the petition is being filed.  Forms I-140 for skilled workers (marked “f” in Part 2, Petition Type, of the form) should continue to be submitted to either the Nebraska or to the Texas Service Centers.  Forms I-140 that are accompanied by a Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service should also go only to the Nebraska or Texas Service Centers.  Beginning on Aug. 3, 2010 all other Form I-140s should be submitted to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility.  Detailed guidance can be found in the updated Form I-140 instructions on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.