United Kingdom: New Identification Cards for British, Swiss and EEA Nationals

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Immigration/Global Migration Group

The United Kingdom’s Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has introduced two new voluntary identification cards: 

  • a national identification card for British nationals; and
  • an identification card for European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals.

The national identification card will only be issued to British citizens. Job applicants may present the card to employers for identification and work authorization verification purposes, in lieu of presenting either: (1) a passport, or (2) a birth certificate and a document containing a National Insurance number. Similarly, an identification card issued to EEA and Swiss nationals (and, in extraordinary cases, to British nationals) can be presented in lieu of a job applicant’s national passport or identity card.

However, some EEA nationals from the European Union’s 10 “accession states” have no automatic right to work in the UK and employers must also check whether those applicants:

  • have registered with the Home Office (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia);
  • have been granted a work authorization (Bulgaria and Romania); or
  • are exempt from the accession regulations’ requirements.

The two IPS-issued cards are not the same as the compulsory identity card for foreign nationals (ICFN), which the UK Border Agency is introducing for a range of categories of migrants from outside the EEA. The ICFN can also be used as evidence of the holder's right (or lack of a right) to work in the UK.

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USCIS Issues Memo Regarding Processing Delays for Employment Authorization Documents

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Immigration/Global Migration Group

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Michael Aytes issued a memorandum [PDF] responding to the CIS Ombudsman’s recommendations regarding processing delays for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs).  The CIS Ombudsman had recommended that USCIS:

• Adhere to regulations that state USCIS shall issue EADs within 90 days, or issue interim EADs to prevent unnecessary loss of employment;

• Expeditiously provide information to the public stating the cause of EAD processing delays and how the delays will be addressed;

• Provide consistent guidance to the public regarding EADs pending more than 90 days; and

• Reconsider Ombudsman recommendation FR2006-25 to issue multi-year EADs.

 

In his memo, prior to responding to each recommendation in detail, Aytes states: 

“We acknowledge that, unfortunately, there is a small percentage of applicants whose cases are not adjudicated timely, and we understand that this imposes a significant burden on them, but we respectfully disagree with the perception that EAD processing, as a whole, is a significant issue.”

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