Effective July 13^th, 2010, there are new passport fees for the U.S. Passport Book, the U.S. Passport Card and other passport services.

A bill that is half way to being passed would allow U.S. citizens to adopt foreign children up to age 18 and reduce documentation requirements. The International Adoption Harmonization Act of 2010 (HR 5532), passed by the House of Representatives on July 20^th, 2010, would modify an act with respect to foreign adopted adolescents.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is giving eligible Haitian nationals an extra 180 days to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The deadline has been extended to January 18^th, 2011.

The U.S. Department of State will increase nonimmigrant visa application processing fees, also called the Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee and Border Crossing Card (BCC) fees, starting June 4. The interim final rule, published in the Federal Register on May 20, also establishes a tiered structure with separate fees for different nonimmigrant visa categories.

The New York Times reports that after a German man met and married an American woman in the United States, he's facing deportation based on an unfamiliar stipulation. Even though his new wife petitioned for his Green Card, based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, the German inadvertantly broke a rule that an officer can enforce on his or her discretion. The clause states that those who enter on the Visa Waiver Program, which allows for up to a 90-day visit, waive "any right to contest summary deportation, except in a claim for asylum," according to the May 14th NYT article.

The Washington Post reports that Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said he didn't know he's required by law to file paperwork verifying that his household employees were authorized to work in the United States.

The U.S. Permanent Resident Card -- commonly known as the "Green Card" -- is being redesigned to incorporate several major new security features, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced May 11.  The Green Card redesign is the latest advance in USCIS's ongoing efforts to deter immigration fraud.  State-of-the-art technology incorporated into the new card prevents counterfeiting, obstructs tampering, and facilitates quick and accurate authentication.  Beginning May 11, USCIS will issue all Green Cards in the new, more secure format.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Haitian nationals that the registration deadline for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is fast approaching. Haitian nationals, who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2010 and who meet other TPS eligibility requirements, must file their applications for TPS no later than July 20, 2010. The TPS designation for Haiti will remain in effect through July 22, 2011.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met with stakeholders March 19 to discuss ongoing efforts to work together to create a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.

Napolitano stressed that the broken immigration system is a problem that has been ignored too long and that the meeting was another important step forward in the administration’s efforts to fix current laws.