Yesterday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would be issuing a final rule to make premium processing available to all form I-140 petitions, and most form I-539 and form I-765 categories. Today, the rule was published in the Federal Register, and...
Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced multiple initiatives to help streamline the adjudication of benefit requests and reduce significant backlogs. Most importantly, the agency announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finalized the rule expanding premium processing to additional application...
Answer Ordinarily, if a person in H-4 status gives birth to a child in the U.S., that child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen. Applying for an Indian passport for her would not impact her status as a U.S. citizen. In order to return to the U.S.,...
The U.S. Department of State has posted the following updated instructions regarding consular services currently available for Ukrainians: The U.S. Mission to Ukraine is not currently offering visa services. Beginning immediately, Ukrainian immigrant visas (IVs) other than adoption cases will be processed at Consulate General Frankfurt,...
Answer Ordinarily, there is no need for the principal spouse to have a valid H1B visa "stamp" in order for a consulate to issue an H-4 visa to the dependent spouse or child. (17.Feb.2022)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For...
Answer Yes, we have run across this same issue. This appears to be an oversight by the USCIS, and we have not yet received formal guidance on where such I-765 applications should be filed. You could try filing based on the service center where the H1B...
Answer We are still awaiting formal guidance on this issue. However, at least some (and possibly all) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offices are granting L-2s status that designates the person as a work authorized spouse. Hopefully, a formal announcement of the process will be...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has provided updated guidance for healthcare workers seeking to expedite the processing of applications for employment authorization (form I-765). The guidance is specifically for healthcare workers seeking to renew their work authorization. Expedite Requests for EAD Renewals Per the USCIS...
Answer No, a copy of the original I-140 (or the courtesy copy provided by the USCIS) should suffice. Even if the person does not have a copy, but can provide the receipt number, the USCIS should still be able to use this to process the H-4...
A group of twenty-three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, urging him to take steps to reduce processing times for applications for employment authorization (form I-765) filed by H-4...
