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,...
Today, a representative from the office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D) announced that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had agreed to postpone furloughs of its staff until August 31, 2020. In the meantime, if Congress and the president are able to reach...
The dean of Harvard University has advised its students that the legal settlement Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reached with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding online courses does not apply to first-year students entering in F-1 status. This means that...
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent out notices to more than two-thirds of its employees that they may be furloughed, effective August 3, 2020. The USCIS is seeking $1.2 billion in emergency funding from Congress; if this is not granted, the...
New H1B policy changes that have been impacted by litigation are discussed by attorneys from the Murthy Law Firm. Rescission of USCIS memos and guidance are included in this conversation, which aired on 01.Jul.2020 as part of our teleconference series for employers and their representatives.The...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is again extending the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1 through September 11,...
In May 2014, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made it possible for travelers to access their respective I-94 arrival / departure records. This database provides a person's most recent I-94 admission record as well as entry and departure records for the past five...
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 July 2020 Visa Bulletin, Mr. Oppenheim provided some information regarding the use of immigrant visa numbers...
The employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) category returns to being current in the July 2020 Visa Bulletin. This is the first time in a year that EB5 India has not required a final action cutoff date in the monthly visa bulletin. Still, it is important to...
