Early this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) implemented a change that all immigration applicants should be aware of. According to Newsweek, starting July 1, USCIS will send its text alerts via a different phone number than previously used. Instead of contacting people via 468-311 (GOV-311), the authority will send messages from 872466 (USA-IMM), which reportedly stands for “U.S.A. Immigration.”
Notably, the change will impact immigration applicants who receive electronic notifications from USCIS, such as case status updates and appointment reminders. The alerts are sent to applicants who opt in to receive them via text and email. The Miami Herald noted that immigration applicants do so when they file Form G-1145. The USCIS document is also known as the Form for E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance.
USCIS noted in a press release that updating its number is to improve message identification and strengthen public trust. Additionally, the agency suggests that applicants save their new contact information and ignore messages from their old number.
The Current State Of Immigration In The U.S.
The Trump administration is enforcing an intense crackdown on immigration. It has threatened birthright citizenship, deployed ICE agents to apprehend the undocumented, and announced more extensive vetting for certain visa applicants. Additionally, it has imposed travel bans fully or partially restricting the nationals of 19 countries, regardless of whether they intended to visit the U.S. on immigrant or nonimmigrant visas.
On June 25, USCIS tweeted, “Coming to America and receiving a visa or green card is a privilege. Our laws and values must be respected. If you advocate for violence, endorse or support terrorist activity, or encourage others to do so, you are no longer eligible to stay in the U.S.”
Underneath the message, the agency added, “Green cards and visas will be revoked if an alien breaks the law.”
