Effective Monday, August 17, 2020, the U.S. consulates in India will have a limited number of slots available for F and J visa applicants. Per the announcement, emergency student and exchange visitor appointment requests submitted prior to August 12 will be processed first. The consulates...
In the past week, there have been unconfirmed reports that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was planning on holding a second H1B lottery. This morning, the Murthy Law Firm began receiving notifications that some of our clients' registrations, which were submitted in March...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed temporary suspension of the issuance of courtesy faxes for requests for evidence (RFEs), notices of intent to deny (NOIDs), and denials due to the pandemic. The USCIS will continue to issue such notices via regular mail...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated the exceptions to the nonimmigrant workers who are prohibited from being admitted to the United States based on President Trump's June 22, 2020, executive order. For example, the DOS now provides an exception for H1B, L1A, and...
On July 22, 2020 a group of foreign nationals filed a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) based on delays in the issuance of employment authorization documents (EADs) following the approval of applications for employment authorization (form I-765). On August...
Today, President Trump signed an executive order that directs federal agencies to use U.S. workers, not foreign nationals, to fill federal government contractor positions. The order also directs the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to finalize guidance that prevents employers from moving H1B workers to...
On July 31, 2020, USCIS posted a clarification to the July 29, 2020 ruling by the New York U.S. District Court blocking the Trump Administration’s public charge rule during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USCIS has now confirmed that it will not apply the public benefit...
Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will "adjust USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20 percent to help recover its operational costs." The final rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register on August 3,...
On July 29, 2020, U.S. District Judge George Daniels issued an decision temporarily blocking the public charge rule during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the government to proceed with applying the public charge rule until all the legal challenges...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) "policy manual" was recently updated to consolidate guidance related to applying discretion in USCIS adjudications. As noted in the corresponding policy alert, "[f]or many immigration benefits, such as certain applications for lawful permanent residence and employment authorization documents,...
