‘Special Situation’ Benefits under USCIS

 Posted on February 04, 2014 in Immigration

There are a number of special immigrant programs that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers to people from certain countries. These programs include special benefits for people who lost citizenship by marriage, people who lost citizenship by serving in foreign armed forces, and certain employees and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad.

One of the benefits programs involves what USCIS calls “special situations”. Put simply, USCIS will provide some additional services to people who have been affected by natural catastrophes or other extreme situations. If you faced such a ‘special situation,’ your USCIS application, petition, or immigration status may be affected.

What Benefits Can I Receive?

Some of the benefits you can receive include the following:

• Extensions – If you have fallen out of status with USCIS because of a disaster, you can apply for an extension or change in status if you can show a direct connection with the disaster;
• Fee Waiver – If you are unable to pay a fee, you may be eligible to apply for a fee waiver;
• Expedited Processing – Adjudication for certain applications, such as students with F-1 visas or applications for immigrant petitions for relatives of U.S. citizens, can be expedited in light of a disaster;
• Employment authorization – Regardless of if the disaster occurs in the United States or abroad, if some extreme circumstance has negatively affected your ability to support yourself while on a student visa, you may be eligible for employment authorization.

What Counts as a ‘Special Situation’?

USCIS typically defines when a special situation has occurred. Special situations can happen both in the United States and abroad. Temporary relief measures were given to victims of Hurricane Sandy, for example. They were not only afforded many of the benefits above, but were also given assistance if stranded overseas without immigration or travel documents. Outside of the United States, special situation have been used during flooding in Central America and the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.

Remember that this is only one small category of beneficiaries within a much larger and robust program. People who have been affected by civil unrest, abuse, human trafficking, and many other hardships can apply for special statuses and benefits as well. If you believe that you or someone you know may fit within one of these categories, contact the knowledgeable Chicagoland immigration law attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices today.