The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to receive more requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) than any other government agency. In fact, during fiscal year 2014 (FY14), the DHS received a record number of requests - 291,242. The majority of FOIA...
A nationwide, class action lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for delays in the adjudication of employment authorization documents (EADs). This lawsuit, captioned Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) v. USCIS, asserts...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are in the initial stages of proposing important regulatory changes affecting employment-based (EB) immigration. The spring 2015 DHS regulatory agenda includes rulemaking that, if implemented, would make certain beneficiaries of...
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a final rule that will now make it possible for dependents of F-1 and M-1 students to study in the United States on a limited basis. Effective May 29, 2015, F-2 and M-2 spouses and children will be...
Representatives from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are cautioning foreign national students against falling prey to a new, sophisticated telephone scam. The scammers are targeting unsuspecting F-1 and M-1 students in the Chicago, Illinois area, demanding...
Officials with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) met with representatives from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) on April 15, 2015, to discuss various topics related to visas. Some of the key issues discussed included visa revocations, misrepresentations by minors, and immigrant visa wait...
Historically, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been available to make corrections on I-94s issued at U.S. ports of entry that contain errors. Many such requests for correction are addressed during in-person visits to CBP deferred inspection units (DIUs). Now, the Houston Field...
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued a message to all SEVP certified schools on January 29, 2015 entitled, Post-Secondary F-1 Student Employment Reminders. In its message, the SEVP reminds all designated school officials (DSOs) of requirements for F-1 employment authorization, including the need for...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for screening nearly one million people traveling to the United States each day. To help make the admissions process run more smoothly, the CBP has created four videos designed to educate international travelers about CBP procedures...
For fiscal year 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 10,000 U petitions, which is the maximum number of U visas available each year. The U visa is a category reserved for qualifying foreign nationals who are victims of certain types of crimes....
