Sample of CSPA aged appeal letter to NVC (The Child Status Protection Act) Emily Huynh 413 subscribers Subscribe 45 Share 2.5K views 2 years ago This video shows you how to write a letter. However, you may choose to opt out of the automatic conversion and stay in second preference classification (F2B) if the waiting time for the second preference visa is shorter than the waiting time for the first preference visa. [^ 44] See 9 FAM 502.1-1(D)(6)(a)(3), Sought to Acquire LPR Status Provision. Paying the immigrant visa fee to the DOS; For refugee and asylee adjustment of status (Green Card), see, For family and employment preference and Diversity Visa immigrants, see. The employer rescinds the parents job offer, but the parent receives a job offer from a second employer. [^ 11] See Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), Pub. Example: Visa Becomes Unavailable Before Filing. This content has been superseded by the current version available in the Guidance tab. CSPA Age Freeze, Immediate Relatives after turning 21 - Shusterman Law You must submit the correct filing fee for each form unless you are exempt or eligible for a fee waiver. In most cases, you do not need a Form I-130 to get a Green Card if you are a K-2 nonimmigrant. The length of time a petition was pending (pending time) is the number of days between the date that it is properly filed (filing date) and the approval date. For more information about applying for a Green Card as a K-1 or K-2 nonimmigrant, see the Green Card for Fianc(e) of U.S. Citizen page. For family and employment-based preference adjustment applicants, the length of time a petition was pending (pending time) is the number of days between the date that it is properly filed (filing date)[30] and the approval date. The prospective applicant decides not to file for adjustment of status between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. Limited CSPA Coverage for K-2 Nonimmigrants. Immediate relatives(including derivatives of widow(er)s); Family-sponsored preference principal applicants and derivative applicants; Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitioners and derivative applicants; Employment-based preference derivative applicants; Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) derivative applicants; Form I-590, Registration for Classification as a Refugee; or, The first day of the month of when USCIS considers a visa available for filing an adjustment of status application based on your immigrant preference category, country of chargeability, and priority date. An applicant is listed as a derivative on an approved Form I-140 filed by their parents employer. Therefore, it is always in the applicants best interest to apply for adjustment of status as soon as possible when a visa first becomes available according to the chart designated by USCIS so as to lock in the applicants CSPA age. CSPA (Child Status Protection Act) Calculator. How to request NVC to apply CSPA to my immigration case so my - Avvo Instead, the filing date (receipt date) is the appropriate date. 1 USCIS-PM - Volume 1 - General Policies and Procedures, 7 USCIS-PM - Volume 7 - Adjustment of Status, 9 USCIS-PM - Volume 9 - Waivers and Other Forms of Relief, 10 USCIS-PM - Volume 10 - Employment Authorization, 11 USCIS-PM - Volume 11 - Travel and Identity Documents, 12 USCIS-PM - Volume 12 - Citizenship and Naturalization. The derivative applicants CSPA age is calculated using the petition underlying the principal beneficiarys adjustment of status application, in other words, the second Form I-140. NVC accepted CPSA protection before priority date became current Alert: On Feb. 14, 2023, USCIS issued policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to update when an immigrant visa becomes available for the purpose of calculating Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age for noncitizens seeking lawful permanent resident status in a preference category. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. However, a transfer of underlying basis request can also result in potential derivative beneficiaries become eligible to adjust status as a derivative because their calculated CSPA age based on the petition is under 21 years of age. [46], Actions an applicant might take prior to filing an adjustment application, such as contacting an attorney or organization about initiating the process for obtaining a visa that has become available or applying for permanent residence, are not equivalent to filing an application and do not fulfill the sought to acquire requirement. The DV Program registration period began on October 1, 2012, and the DV Selection Letter is dated May 1, 2013. Noncitizens must generally file motions to reopen within 30 days of the decision. However, the derivative refugee may overcome this by providing evidence establishing the parent-child relationship, including evidence of the childs age, and a reasonable explanation as to why the derivative was not included on the principals Form I-590. In order to warrant a favorable exercise of discretion, the circumstances must truly be extraordinary and beyond the adjustment applicants control. As that process is ongoing, USCIS has moved any remaining AFM content to its corresponding USCIS Policy Manual Part, in PDF format, until relevant AFM content has been properly incorporated into the USCIS Policy Manual. Therefore, the applicants CSPA age is under 21. Since October 2015, the Visa Bulletin has featured two charts per immigrant preference category: USCIS designates one of the two charts for use by applicants each month. The prospective applicant decides not to apply for adjustment of status between October 1, 2020, and the end of January 2021. The visa remains available to the prospective applicant through March 2021, that is, for a continuous 1-year period of visa availability. If someone applies for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status as a child but turns 21 before being approved for LPR status (also known as getting a Green Card), that person can no longer be considered a child for immigration purposes. If you think, you are eligible under CSPA then you must write letters to NVC, Consulate and INS claiming your eligibility to speed up processing on your file. This also applies to circumstances when USCIS approves a request to transfer the underlying basis of a pending adjustment of status application to a different immigrant category based on another approved petition. See Part M, Asylee Adjustment, Chapter 2, Eligibility Requirements, Section C, Derivative Asylee Continues to be the Spouse of Child of the Principal Asylee, Subsection 2, Derivative Asylees Ineligible for Adjustment of Status [7 USCIS-PM M.2 (C)(2)]. [^ 33] For more information, see Chapter 3, Filing Instructions, Section B, Definition of Properly Filed, Subsection 4, Visa Availability Requirement [7 USCIS-PM A.3(B)(4)] and Chapter 6, Adjudicative Review, Section C, Verify Visa Availability [7 USCIS-PM A.6(C)]. [^ 1] See Pub. The core purpose of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)[1] was to alleviate the hardships faced by certain noncitizens who were previously classified as children for immigrant visa purposes, but who, due to the time required to adjudicate petitions, had turned 21 years old and consequently became ineligible to receive such immigrant visas. Requesting NVC for IV fee invoice for child because case might apply CSPA A visa is continuously available for accepting and processing an application for adjustment of status for a 1-year period if, during each month of that year, the applicant has a priority date that is earlier than the date for their country and category on the chart in the DOS Visa Bulletin designated by USCIS for such month. (CSPA) you can "opt out" of conversion to the F1 visa category and remain an F2B visa applicant . Only the applicants who are listed on the interview appointment letter issued by the NVC must appear to be interviewed at the scheduled time. CSPA letter to NVC required - VisaJourney [^ 22] See INA 203(h)(1)(A). See Section G, Sought to Acquire Requirement [7 USCIS-PM A.7(G)]. Furthermore, the fact of being or having been a child is common to all applicants seeking protection under the CSPA and does not constitute extraordinary circumstances. He said we need to write a letter to tell them why we believe. In between we also sent an email to NVC to know the status of our CSPA application for which they replied on 22nd July 2016 like this Quote This case is currently under review for applicability of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). 7 USCIS-PM B - Part B - 245(a) Adjustment, 7 USCIS-PM L - Part L - Refugee Adjustment. However, in December 2020, USCIS designates the Final Action Dates chart for use by prospective applicants in the employment-based preference categories. National Visa Center (NVC) Immigrant Visa Backlog Report Last updated February 2023 Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the Department of State's ability to process immigrant visa applications. Yes. The Child Status Protection Act, or CSPA, was enacted in 2002 in an effort to prevent certain children from aging out while they wait to immigrate on a family-based petition. In October 2020, USCIS designates the Dates for Filing chart of the DOS Visa Bulletin for use to apply for adjustment of status in the employment-based preference categories. NVC may add a child to the fee bill if the child's CSPA age is under 21 on the first day of visa availability, or may defer to the consulate to make the decision to add a CSPA-age-adjusted child as a derivative. [^ 40] VAWA preference cases are subject to the sought to acquire requirement, but VAWA IRs are not. This technical update to Volume 7 includes references to the EB-5 visa program and Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, and clarifications regarding the Child Status Protection Act eligibility of derivative applicants of the VAWA-based Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant. Adjustment applicants who fail to fulfill the sought to acquire requirement within 1 year of visa availability may still be able to benefit from CSPA if they can establish that their failure to meet the requirement was the result of extraordinary circumstances.[50]. The noncitizen cannot benefit from the age-out protections of the CSPA. * Got USCIS receipt notice on April 08, 2011. CSPA. NVC | Interview Appointment - Mygcvisa If your LPR parent filed a Form I-130 for you as an unmarried son or daughter (second preference classification) and then your parent became a U.S. citizen, you normally would automatically convert to a first preference classification as the unmarried son or daughter of a U.S. citizen (F1). [^ 15] See Part M, Asylee Adjustment, Chapter 2, Eligibility Requirements, Section C, Derivative Asylee Continues to be the Spouse or Child of the Principal Asylee [7 USCIS-PM M.2(C)]. CSPA does not change the requirement that the applicant must be unmarried in order to remain eligible for classification as a child for immigration purposes. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to remove references to Biographic Information (Form G-325A). Diversity immigrant visa (DV) derivatives; CSPA provisions vary based on the immigrant category of the applicant. However, you must remain unmarried in order to qualify. CSPA applies only to those applicants specified in the statute: Family-sponsored preference principals and derivatives; Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitioners and derivatives;[4], Employment-based preference derivatives;[5]. [^ 54] For more detailed guidance on CSPA applicability and VAWA, see INA 204(a)(1)(D)(i) and Age-Out Protections Afforded Battered Children Pursuant to The Child Status Protection Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (PDF, 104.96 KB), issued August 17, 2004. Ineffective assistance of counsel, when certain requirements are met. The applicant already had a continuous 1-year period in which to seek to acquire. It helps lock in the age and preserve the "child" status of both immediate relatives and those in the preference categories. [^ 49] Though the CSPA technically requires DV derivatives to seek to acquire within 1 year, this requirement does not generally affect DV derivatives, as they are only eligible to receive a visa through the end of the specific fiscal year in which the principal applicant was selected under INA 203(c). The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) defines a child as a person who is both unmarried and under 21 years old. On June 1, 2021, the visa becomes available again to the prospective applicant. In order to qualify as a stepchild, the marriage between your U.S. citizen stepparent and your K1 nonimmigrant parent must have occurred before your 18th birthday. However, CSPA does not change the requirement that you must be unmarried in order to remain eligible for classification as a child. Such retrogression can affect either chart in the Visa Bulletin and may result in a visa becoming unavailable to the prospective applicant for accepting and processing their application. CSPA Guide, Child Status Protection Act, CSPA Formula - Shusterman Law The letter format is on this forum. U.S. The DV Program registration period began on Oct. 1, 2012, and the DV selection Letter is dated May 1, 2013. This guidance is effective immediately and applies to adjustment of status applications we adjudicate on or after Feb. 14, 2023. U.S. The approval notice will also show you which office approved your Form I-130. [31] In other words, the pending time is the period of time between the start of the DV Program registration period to the date of the DV Selection Letter. It is important to note that while USCIS designates one of the charts for use by applicants each month for accepting and processing adjustment of status applications, the Final Action Dates chart always governs when a visa is authorized for issuance to an applicant. Officers consider new evidence of extraordinary circumstances submitted with the motion to reopen, consistent with the guidance in this section. The second employer files a new Form I-140 for the parent, and the applicant is listed as a derivative on this second approved Form I-140. If the adjustment applicant was under the age of 21 at the time the petition was filed or automatically converted, the applicant is eligible for CSPA and will not age out. The date a Form I-590 is considered filed is the date of the principal refugee parents interview with a USCIS officer. INA 201(f) - Rules for determining whether certain aliens are immediate relatives, INA 203(h) - Rules for determining whether certain aliens are children, INA 207(c)(2)(B) - Admission by Attorney General of refugees; criteria; admission status of spouse or child; applicability of other statutory requirements; termination of refugee status of alien, spouse, or child, INA 208(b)(3)(B) - Continued classification of certain aliens as children, INA 209(a)(1) - Inspection and examination by Department of Homeland Security, INA 209, 8 CFR 209 - Adjustment of status of refugees and asylees, Pub. Applicants cannot rely on the DOS Visa Bulletin alone because the Visa Bulletin merely publishes both charts; it does not state which chart can be used to determine when to file an adjustment of status application. For information regarding implementation, see Appendix: 2020 Fee Rule Litigation Summary. Certain provisions of the CSPA apply to some categories of immigrants but not others. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising its policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to align with the Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2020. From the date of visa availability, and provided that the visa remains available for a continuous 1-year period, the applicant has 1 year to fulfill the sought to acquire requirement. [^ 29] A transfer request potentially affects the CSPA age calculation for the derivative beneficiaries. Instead, CSPA provides methods for calculating an applicants age for immigrant visa purposes. For DVs, the date a visa is considered available is the first day on which the principal applicants rank number is current for visa processing. [^ 48] For DVs, the date a visa is considered available is the first day on which the principal applicants rank number is current for visa processing. For more information about K-1 and K-2 nonimmigrant visas, see the Fianc(e) Visas page. [^ 39] See INA 203(h)(1)(A). Official websites use .gov However, USCIS may excuse the applicant from the requirement as an exercise of discretion if the applicant is able to establish that the failure to satisfy the sought to acquire requirement within 1 year was the result of extraordinary circumstances.[47]. See Matter of O. Vazquez (PDF), 25 I&N Dec. 817 (BIA 2012). To the extent that a provision in the USCIS Policy Manual conflicts with remaining AFM content or Policy Memoranda, the updated information in the USCIS Policy Manual prevails. Applicants must file the Notice of Appeal or Motion (Form I-290B) with the proper fee and should present their claim that the finding in Matter of O. Vazquez constitutes changed circumstances justifying the reopening of the adjustment application. See Section G, Sought to Acquire Requirement [7 USCIS-PM A.7(G)] for detailed information. The applicant must indicate whether a complaint has been filed with the appropriate disciplinary authorities about any violations of counsels legal or ethical responsibilities, or explain why a complaint has not been filed. In order for a family-sponsored or employment-based preference or DV applicant to qualify for CSPA, the applicant must meet the following requirements: For family-sponsored (including VAWA)[26] and employment-based preference and DV categories, an adjustment applicants CSPA age is calculated by subtracting the number of days the petition on which the applicant seeks to adjust status was pending (pending time) from the applicants age on the date the immigrant visa becomes available to the applicant (age at time of visa availability). This chapter primarily focuses on the impact of CSPA on adjustment applicants, though the same principles generally apply to noncitizens seeking an immigrant visa through DOS.[8]. VAWA self-petitioners and derivatives who age out before adjusting status are considered self-petitioners for preference status, and derivatives retain the priority date of their parents Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant (Form I-360) VAWA self-petition. PDF application of the cspa to the children of u.s. citizen petitioners [10], Certain Preference Applicants with No Adjustment Application Pending on the Effective Date. CSPA applies to both noncitizens abroad who are applying for an immigrant visa through the Department of State (DOS) and noncitizens physically present in the United States who are applying for adjustment of status through USCIS. [^ 53] For more detailed guidance on CSPA applicability and VAWA, see INA 204(a)(1)(D)(i) and Age-Out Protections Afforded Battered Children Pursuant to The Child Status Protection Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (PDF, 104.96 KB), issued August 17, 2004. Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur; Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 7, Part F, Section 2 of the USCIS Policy Manual, Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application, Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, Green Card for Fianc(e) of U.S. Citizen page, USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part A, Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures, Chapter 7, Child Status Protection Act. In September 2015, DOS and USCIS announced a revision to the Visa Bulletin, which created two charts of dates. Examples of extraordinary circumstances that may warrant a favorable exercise of discretion include, but are not limited to: Serious illness or mental or physical disability of the applicant during the 1-year period; Legal disability, such as instances where the adjustment applicant suffered from a mental impairment, during the 1-year period; Instances where a timely adjustment application was rejected by USCIS as improperly filed and was returned to the applicant for corrections where the deficiency was corrected and the application re-filed within a reasonable period thereafter; Death or serious illness or incapacity of the applicants attorney or legal representative or a member of the applicants immediate family; and. * Child Status Protection Act Date Of Birth* Priority Date* Approval Date* Date when Petition Became Current * UNDERSTAND THE TERMS Priority Date It is the date when your Petition was filed. 3) Paid the fees and submitted all the forms. CSPA (Child Status Protection Act) Calculator - Immihelp Certain Preference Applicants Who Did Not Have an Adjustment Application Pending on the Effective Date. Quote Tweet #9 01-15-2003, 12:35 AM Hello Everybody, Regarding "Child Status protection act" (CSPA) On "Retention of priorty of date" in F4- F3 categories. . The parent files an adjustment of status application based on the second Form I-140 and is approved. Seek or sought to acquire is used as shorthand in this chapter to refer to this requirement. (recent experience with CSPA). PDF National Visa Center / AILA DOS Liaison Committee Meeting November 3 However, the derivative asylee may overcome this by providing evidence establishing the parent-child relationship, including evidence of the childs age, and a reasonable explanation as to why the derivative was not included on the principals Form I-589. For a motion filed more than 30 days after the denial, if the noncitizen demonstrates that the delay was reasonable and was beyond their control, we may, in our discretion, excuse the untimely filing of the motion. When a visa becomes unavailable to the noncitizen before a continuous 1-year period has elapsed, the applicant has another 1-year period to seek to acquire when the visa once again becomes available for accepting and processing an adjustment of status application. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), to include how USCIS calculates age under certain contexts and what actions satisfy the sought to acquire requirement. The petition had been pending for three months before it was approved, so that period of time can be subtracted from the child's age. The NVC did its CSPA analysis when the priority date became current using Chart A, which was on Oct. 1, 2016. and write this SAMPLE letter to the NVC when sending the documents. Note:Certain forms, including Form I-290B, have a filing fee. [9], CSPA does not apply to adjustment applications that were subject to a final determination prior to the effective date. [34] DOS publishes a new Visa Bulletin on a monthly basis. A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Family-Sponsored Preference Principals and Derivatives (including VAWA)[54]. The CSPA age is calculated based on the new visa availability date of October 1, 2021 (not October 1, 2020), and locked in as of that date provided that the visa remains available and the applicant seeks to acquire during that 1-year period. [15], CSPA allows children who turn 21 years old after a refugee application is filed but prior to adjudication to continue to be classified as children and remain eligible for derivative refugee status. We approved the petition on Aug.1, 2016. In order for family-sponsored and employment-based preference and DV adjustment applicants to benefit from the CSPA age calculation, they must seek to acquire lawful permanent residence within 1 year of when a visa becomes available for accepting and processing a potential adjustment of status application. [^ 28] See Section G, Sought to Acquire Requirement [7 USCIS-PM A.7(G)] for detailed information. Hello, I need help drafting a CSPA letter for the NVC. I would U.S. The CSPA went into effect on August 6, 2002. Generally, in order to qualify, the derivative refugee must be listed as a child on the principal applicants Form I-590 prior to a final decision. If you are a family preference (including VAWA self-petition), employment-based preference, or diversity visa (DV) applicant, calculate your CSPA age by subtracting the number of days your petition was pending (pending time) from your age on the date an immigrant visa becomes available to you (age at time of visa availability). CSPA applies only to the following people: If you are applying for a Green Card based on one of the categories above, you are eligible for CSPA consideration if either your qualifying Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or one of the following underlying forms was filed or pending on or after Aug.6, 2002: If you are a derivative refugee, your CSPA age is your age on the date your principal refugee parent or Form I-730 petitioner filed his or her I-590, which is the date of his or her interview with a USCIS officer. While you must be unmarried to qualify for admission into the U.S. as a derivative refugee, you do not need to remain unmarried in order to qualify for a Green Card under INA section 209. For more information, see Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 7, Part F, Section 2, of the USCIS Policy Manual. Your mother filed a petition for you on Feb.1, 2016. CSPA Letters: Address - ILW.COM Discussion Board CSPA age is calculated by subtracting the number of days the petition was pending from the applicants age on the date an immigrant visa becomes available to the applicant. U.S. [^ 46] If a derivative child has a pending adjustment application and USCIS approves the principal applicants request to transfer the underlying basis of their adjustment application to a different immigrant category based on another approved petition, then the date that the transfer request is received by USCIS is the date used to determine whether the derivative child met the sought to acquire requirement. Sample of CSPA aged appeal letter to NVC (The Child Status Protection Transferring to a new basis will result in a new calculated CSPA age, as the amount of time the petition was pending will change as will the derivative beneficiarys age at the time of visa availability. [49], Impact of Visa Unavailability on the 1-Year Sought to Acquire Requirement. [48] From the date of visa availability, family-sponsored and employment-based preference and DV adjustment applicants have 1 year in which to seek to acquire permanent resident status in order to qualify for CSPA coverage. Officers should follow guidance in Age-Out Protections Afforded Battered Children Pursuant to The Child Status Protection Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (PDF, 104.96 KB), issued August 17, 2004. U.S. Under Section 424 of the USA PATRIOT Act, if a qualifying form was filed before September 11, 2001, then the applicant is afforded an additional 45 days of eligibility.[11]. For IRs and IR self-petitioners or derivatives under VAWA, a childs age is frozen on the date the Form I-130 or Form I-360 is filed, respectively. An adjustment applicant may satisfy the sought to acquire requirement by any one of the following: Properly filing an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485);[41], Submitting a completed Immigrant Visa Electronic Application (Form DS-260), Part I to the DOS;[42], Paying the immigrant visa fee to DOS;[43], Paying the Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA (Form I-864) review fee to DOS (provided the applicant is listed on the Affidavit of Support);[44] or, Having a properly filed Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition (Form I-824) filed on the applicants behalf. If you were under the age of 21 at the time of your parents interview, your age is frozen as of that date and you will not age out.