The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently confirmed that it no longer automatically accepts service requests from applicants whose I-765 applications for employment authorization have been pending for more than seventy-five (75) days. The USCIS informed the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that this...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its online policy guidance related to the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). The USCIS update to the online policy manual consolidates all CSPA guidance in one location, and supersedes prior memos and judicial decisions dealing with...
Recently, the Employee Rights Section (IER) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding information sharing for interagency referrals. This apparently...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published the annual report for fiscal year (FY) 2017 that details characteristics of H1B petitions. FY17 ran from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. The report provides data related to H1B petitions filed during FY17, including...
Effective April 30, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began phasing in the use of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) signature confirmation restricted delivery service to send certain key documents, such as the original I-551 form (commonly referred to as a "green card"). This...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated the section of its online policy manual that discusses the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor visa program. The update clarifies that, once a petition by an entrepreneur to remove the conditions on permanent resident status...
Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions most months. For June 2018, Mr. Oppenheim discusses the possibility of movement in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) and employment-based, third preference (EB3)...
On May 11, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memorandum that will substantially change the rules regarding unlawful presence (ULP) as they apply to those in F, J, and M status. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on May 15, 2018 that the data entry process has been completed for all cases selected in the fiscal year 2019 (FY19) H1B lottery. The USCIS will now begin returning all cap-subject petitions that were not selected.The...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has added a number new features to the E-Verify system, designed to improve the user experience, reduce errors, and increase the speed and accuracy of the employment eligibility verification process. In addition, the USCIS has launched a new...
