In light of the recent natural catastrophes in Chile, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has reminded Chileans of U.S. immigration benefits available to eligible Chilean nationals upon request. USCIS understands that a natural catastrophe can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to nationals of Chile may include:

1. The grant of an application for change or extension of nonimmigrant status on behalf of a Chilean national who is currently in the United States, even in cases where the request is submitted after the individual’s authorized period of admission has expired;
2. Re-parole of individuals granted parole by USCIS;
3. Extension of certain grants of advance parole, expedited processing of advance parole requests;
4. Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization due to severe economic hardship for F-1 students;
5. Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relative(s) of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”);
6. Expedited issuance of employment authorization where appropriate; and
7. Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without documents in coordination with the Department of State.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, applicants are encouraged to visit the USCIS website or to call the National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283 [only callers within the United States may use this 800 number].