The Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed its practice of issuing employer correction request letters, also known as "no-match letters." A no-match letter is used to notify an employer of an employee whose name and Social Security number (SSN) on a wage and tax statement (form...
This afternoon, a federal district court judge issued a nationwide injunction against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from enforcing the new public charge rule. The public charge rule had been scheduled to go into effect on October 15, 2019.The injunction specifically prohibits the...
On October 11, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) will publish an interim final rule to amend the regulations regarding how consular officers determine whether a foreign national is likely to become a public charge, and therefore ineligible for a visa. This rule will...
The new versions of forms I-129, I-539, I-864, and I-485 were posted on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website yesterday. The new I-944 (Declaration of Self-Sufficiency) form has also been put up. These forms now include the updated public charge rule. The USCIS...
On Friday, October 4, 2019, President Trump issued an executive order that will bar entry of a foreign national requesting admission on an immigrant visa unless the individual has qualifying health insurance, will have such health insurance within 30 days of admission, or "… has...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is in the process of updating certain forms to add questions that will be used to determine whether a beneficiary or applicant is likely to become a public charge. These questions are being added in response to the...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued instructions for entry into the fiscal year (FY) 2021 diversity visa (DV) lottery, more commonly known as the "green card" lottery. The FY21 diversity lottery will grant 55,000 immigrant visas to qualified applicants. Registration for FY21 begins...
Since its introduction, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 1044 / S. 386) has been the subject of great interest and excitement within immigration circles. The bill would eliminate the per-country cap on employment-based green card petitions and increase the cap on family-based petitions....
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the October 2019 Visa Bulletin, Mr. Oppenheim provided some updated information on what to expect in the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released policy guidance, effective October 29, 2019, modifying certain residency requirements for obtaining U.S. citizenship. Notably, this policy impacts children born abroad to U.S. government employees and U.S. armed forces members. Under the new policy guidance, "children...
