The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) recently decided in a non-precedent decision that a provisional certificate from an Indian university was the equivalent of a degree. This favorable decision hopefully will lead the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to institute a formal policy of recognizing...
On January 17, 2017 a regulation went into effect that permits the automatic extension of certain categories of employment authorization documents (EADs) for up to 180 days based on timely filed EAD renewal applications. This immigration benefit applies to applicants with new, qualifying renewal applications,...
Due to a technical error, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued a number of H1B approvals that were incorrectly annotated with the H1B1 annotation. The USCIS is expected to issue corrected approval notices to reflect the proper H1B designation. Background on H1B1 Category The...
Starting April 3, 2017, the USCIS will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H1B petitions. This suspension may last up to six months. While H1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for a...
Many U.S. employers that normally engage in providing tech consulting services seek to expand revenue streams by also developing their own proprietary software that can be marketed to clients. As part of the development process, these companies may seek to hire H1B workers to serve...
On February 14, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the long-awaited application for employment authorization for abused nonimmigrant spouses (form I-765V). The new form allows certain categories of nonimmigrant spouses, including those in A, E-3, G, or H status, to now apply...
Retired Marine Corps General John F. Kelly was officially sworn in as the fifth Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on January 20, 2016. Secretary Kelly replaces former secretary Jeh Johnson, who served in the role under President Obama since December of...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released supplement J, a new form to be used in conjunction with applications to adjust status (form I-485). Supplement J serves to provide confirmation of a bona fide job offer or to notify the USCIS in cases...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that it is continuing to adjudicate petitions and applications filed on behalf of foreign nationals from the seven "travel ban" countries. The full statement from the USCIS reads as follows: USCIS continues to adjudicate applications and petitions...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a fact sheet related to the automatic extension of certain employment authorization documents (EADs) pursuant to the recently implemented regulation on high-skilled workers. The fact sheet clarifies, "Employees with a timely filed EAD application that is...
