The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has completed its review of a final rule that would make premium processing available to additional categories of immigration benefits. The text of the rule has not yet been released, but, if implemented, the rule may make premium...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated Ukraine for temporary protected status (TPS), due to the Russian invasion, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.Effective November 21, 2014, nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone living in the United States are eligible to...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing employment authorization documents (EADs) separately from advance parole (AP) documents. This is being done in an effort to clear backlogs in EAD applications. Background on "Combo Cards" When a foreign national files an I-485 adjustment of status...
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,...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the H1B cap limit for fiscal year 2022 (FY22) has finally been reached. This applies to both the 65,000 regular H1B cap limit as well as the 20,000 advanced degree (masters) cap exemptions.The USCIS had...
Ur M. Jaddou, the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), recently announced the agency's new mission statement. The Trump Administration had previously changed the USCIS mission statement to shift the agency's attention toward enforcement, rather than providing immigration services. This mission statement...
For many years, the EB2 India category consistently had a cutoff date more favorable than its EB3 counterpart. Since October 2020, however, there has been some back-and-forth, with the EB3 India cutoff date surging ahead of EB2, then EB3 stalling and the EB2 cutoff date...
H1B cap filing season is nearly upon us, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) again will use the electronic registration system, which was first implemented in March 2020. Below are answers to several frequently asked questions sent by both foreign nationals and prospective...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the March 2022 Visa Bulletin. The employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for foreign nationals born in India continues to advance, while the other categories largely remain stagnant. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the...
A U.S. federal district court has approved a preliminary settlement agreement for former students of the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), a fictitious university created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2012. Following the closure of UNNJ in 2016, the DHS...
