On June 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced that Ken Cuccinelli would be assuming the role of Acting Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). There is no consensus as to whether President Trump will confirm...
The USCIS has updated the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin webpage to clarify that the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category is "current" under the July 2019 Visa Bulletin.The July 2019 Visa Bulletin contains an extremely unusual entry in the FB2A...
On July 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is putting on a teleconference related to H1B enforcement issues. The following topics will be covered during the teleconference:Compliance and systematic review of H1B petitions...
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the July 2019 Visa Bulletin, Mr. Oppenheim explained the reasoning for making the family-based, second preference A...
Answer In general, a petitioner may withdraw a request for "change of status" while replying to an RFE, and request approval only for consular notification (i.e., consular processing). (24.Jun.2019)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law...
Answer Yes, expert opinions are still an important part of most RFE responses, and should definitely be considered when responding to a "specialty occupation" RFE. (24.Jun.2019)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law in real time....
In 2017, the Trump Administration began the implementation of an "extreme vetting" program for certain foreign nationals requesting admission to the United States. As part of this program, a foreign national applying for a visa at a U.S. consulate abroad may be asked to complete...
Answer We oftentimes recommend to clients that they remain in H1B status, if possible, but this is not a requirement. The main benefit of maintaining H1B status is that it is a "backup" if the I-485 application is denied for some reason. Also, one may continue...
Answer Generally speaking, moving to a new H1B employer would not impact the dependent spouse's pending H-4/EAD extension applications. (24.Jun.2019)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law in real time. For details on chat participation, click...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated the Adjudicators Field Manual (AFM) with regard to P1S essential support personnel for individual athletes. This update does not represent a substantive change, but instead is intended to prevent incorrect approval periods. More specifically, the update...
