The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Texas Service Center (TSC) is still denying advance parole (AP) applications (form I-131) for applicants who travel abroad before their AP applications are approved. As previously reported, this is contrary to the longstanding practice by the USCIS to...
Answer Generally speaking, travel while a COS to H-4 is pending will automatically result in the application being considered abandoned. One in this scenario could enter on the existing H1B visa (assuming the visa and H1B petition are still valid, and one will be returning to...
This morning, a federal judge in Maryland blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing the travel ban issued by executive order on September 24, 2017. This version of the travel ban was to apply to citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Chad, Yemen, and North Korea,...
Multiple reports from attorneys across the country have indicated that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a new policy prohibiting attorneys from entering secondary inspection areas at U.S. ports of entry (POEs) to meet or accompany clients. Although there has been no official...
On Monday, September 11, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump Administration, temporarily allowing the travel ban to apply to refugees who have a relationship with a resettlement agency. This stems from a June 26, 2017 decision by the Supreme Court to temporarily...
As reported in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, USCIS Denying Advance Parole Applications Based on Overseas Travel (10.Aug.2017) the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began denying advance parole (AP) applications (form I-131), in recent months, for applicants who traveled abroad before their respective I-131s were approved. In...
Answer Yes, to enter on F-1 OPT, a valid visa "stamp" is typically required (with the limited exception of travel to Canada or Mexico under the automatic visa revalidation rule). (21.Aug.2017)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced expansion of the biometric exit technology pilot program to Washington Dulles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The program uses facial recognition technology...
Answer Travel would typically not be necessary. As soon as one leaves the H1B employer (without the filing of another H1B petition by the new employer), one is no longer in H1B status. But, based on the pending I-485, one generally would automatically fall into a...
In a recent trend, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun to deny advance parole (AP) applications (form I-131) for applicants who have traveled abroad before their applications are approved. This is in stark contrast to the previous, longstanding policy, which allowed...
