A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) final rule scheduled to go into effect on October 2, 2020, will increase most filing fees and provide the USCIS with several additional days to adjudicate cases filed under the premium processing program. In addition, the USCIS is...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is again extending the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1, 2020 through January...
Answer A person may not normally enter the U.S. on a B-1 visa with the intention of changing status to H1B. (26.Aug.2020)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click here. Access more FAQs here. Copyright...
Answer Assuming you meet all the other requirements for an H-4 EAD, it typically is possible to file the EAD application while the H1B and H-4 extensions are still pending. (26.Aug.2020)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our...
Answer Yes, the USCIS is processing L-1 petitions. But, if the person is subject to the executive order and does not fit within any of the exceptions, a consulate will not issue the beneficiary an L-1 visa "stamp" until the executive order is lifted. (26.Aug.2020)Sheela Murthy...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will temporarily relax one of the eligibility criteria for the interview waiver program at U.S. consulates, commonly referred to as the "drop box" option.Under the normal rules, one of the qualifying criteria is that the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reportedly cancelled its plans to furlough a large percentage of its staff at the end of this month. Due to budget constraints, however, the USCIS is cautioning stakeholders to expect longer wait times for certain services, such...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a reminder to universities and F-1 students employed pursuant to post-completion optional practical training (OPT) to ensure that changes in employer information are updated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Per the USCIS...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, due to delays in the production of employment authorization documents (EADs), a form I-797 approval notice that has a notice date on or after December 1, 2019 through and including August 20, 2020, can be...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the September 2020 Visa Bulletin. There is very little movement from the previous month. This is the final visa bulletin of the current fiscal year. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action...
