According to the Department of State’s website, U.S. visa and U.S. passport applicants should prepare themselves for serious delays. On July 20, 2014 the Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) underwent a recommended software update. Since then the CCD -a database containing essential information for the printing of U.S. passports and U.S. visas –
Thousands of Afghan interpreters and other Afghan workers who assisted the U.S. government in Afghanistan are at risk because of their cooperation with the U.S. government. The Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 granted the Department of State authority to issue Special Immigrant Visas to these individuals, setting a cap of 3,000 visas for 2014.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new Policy Memorandum, “Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013: Changes to U Nonimmigrant Status and Adjustment of Status Provisions,” on June 15, 2014 which broadens the U visa requirements and allows more individuals to apply for the benefit. The U visa allows undocumented individuals who