The novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, has wreaked havoc across the world. On top of the hospitalizations and loss of life, the global economy is at a virtual standstill, resulting in a massive spike in unemployment. H1B workers have not been immune from this fallout. Given the...
Shortly after the results were released for the H1B registration lottery, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) received reports from a number of immigration attorneys who had received denial notices for some clients' registrations based upon the existence of duplicate registrations (i.e., more than one...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will not issue receipt notices or begin data entry for cap-subject H1B petitions until at least May 1, 2020. The USCIS further cautions of a general delay in processing cap-subject H1B petitions. Per the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Vermont Service Center (VSC) has reopened today, following a brief closure last week. The closure was the result of a possible case of COVID-19. However, the test fortunately came back as negative for the virus. Copyright © 2020, MURTHY...
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has received a number of reports from members that there was a possible COVID-19 exposure at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Vermont Service Center (VSC), forcing the center to temporarily close. According to the reports, the VSC...
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), which works exclusively for the United States Congress to provide nonpartisan policy and legal analysis, has released a report confirming that many nonimmigrants are eligible to receive recovery rebates (frequently referred to as stimulus checks) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has temporarily suspended offering in-person service at passport agencies during the COVID-19 epidemic. The only exception for this is if the applicant needs a U.S. passport due to a "qualified life-or-death emergency."U.S. citizens may still apply in person at...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced via "Twitter" that it has placed on hold a rule, initially released at the beginning of March 2020, that would have increased this year's cap on H2B nonagricultural workers by 35,000. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) National Visa Center (NVC) has temporarily reduced its staff. This has hampered the ability of the NVC to respond to queries submitted via the Ask NVC form. Accordingly, the NVC is instructing stakeholders to...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) will remain suspended until at least May 3, 2020. In-person services may resume on May 4, 2020, depending upon what transpires with...
