In recent years, each time an annual budget or continuing resolution has been passed into law, it has also been used to extend certain immigration programs that were scheduled to expire. The omnibus spending bill signed into law on December 27, 2020, which funds the...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the January 2021 Visa Bulletin. Unfortunately, there is very little movement from the December 2020 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action chart (i.e., "Chart A"), unless otherwise specified. There...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again extended the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1, 2020 through January...
For nonimmigrants temporarily in the United States, perhaps the most important date to track is the expiration date of one's I-94 arrival / departure record. The I-94 record used to be issued in paper form by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon arrival...
Over the weekend, Congress passed two stop-gap measures to keep the federal government funded through this evening. More importantly, a final bill is expected to be signed into law later today that will keep the government funded for months to come. Copyright © 2020, MURTHY LAW...
Congress must pass a spending bill to extend government operations before 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, 2020, or else a temporary shutdown of the federal government will go into effect. This would be the fourth shutdown of the Trump Administration. Annual Budget Process and History...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a statement this week, acknowledging delays in issuing receipt notices for cases filed at USCIS lockbox facilities. The USCIS attributes these delays to a significant increase in recent filings, along with a reduced processing capacity caused by...
President Trump has issued an executive order to close all executive departments and agencies, which includes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on December 24, 2020. These offices will also be closed on December 25, which is Christmas day, a federal holiday. Copyright © 2020,...
President-Elect Joseph R. Biden has announced that he will nominate Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If he is confirmed by the Senate, Mayorkas, who immigrated from Cuba, would be the first Latino and the first...
Legalization or decriminalization of marijuana or other narcotics at the state level can mislead noncitizens into thinking using such drugs in accordance with state law is legal. Marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and many other drugs are controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, the use, sale, purchase,...
