Immigration Benefits Available to Chileans

In light of the recent earthquakes in Chile, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has posted a reminder to Chileans of U.S. immigration benefits available to them upon request.

USCIS understands that a natural catastrophe can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to nationals of Chile may include:

• The grant of an application for change or extension of nonimmigrant status on behalf of a Chilean national who is currently in the United States, even in cases where the request is submitted after the individual’s authorized period of admission has expired;
• Re-parole of individuals granted parole by USCIS;
• Extension of certain grants of advance parole, expedited processing of advance parole requests;
• Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization due to severe economic hardship for F-1 students;
• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relative(s) of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);
• Expedited issuance of employment authorization where appropriate; and
• Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without documents in coordination with the Department of State.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283.

We will also post additional information at www.bashyamspiro.com as it becomes available.