The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued a warning in relation to a recent trend in telephone scams. The OIG warns that criminals are calling prospective victims and altering the caller ID number to appear as though...
The administrative appeals office (AAO) issued a non-precedent decision, on April 28, 2017, that acknowledges the right of an I-140 beneficiary who has ported to a new employer pursuant to the American Competitiveness in the Twenty First Century Act (AC21) to receive and respond to...
As of May 1, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing redesigned versions of permanent resident cards (i.e. I-551 forms, commonly referred to as "green cards") and employment authorization documents (EADs). The redesigned documents include several enhanced security features. Existing green...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, informing stakeholders that the data entry process has been completed for all cases selected in the fiscal year 2018 (FY18) H1B lottery. The USCIS will now begin returning all...
Two individuals, formerly associated with hardline anti-immigration groups, have received high-level positions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Julie Kirchner, the former executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), has been appointed ombudsman at the United States Citizenship and Immigration...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on April 12, 2017, adopting the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decision in Matter of I-Corp. This decision clarifies that the USCIS cannot approve a petition for a foreign national worker that is based on...
In recent months, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reinterpreted a long-existing rule in a manner that impacts applications to change from B-1/B-2 business / visitor status to F-1 full-time student status. The net result is greater uncertainty and expense for B-1/B-2 visitors...
On April 7, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the H1B cap for fiscal year 2018 (FY18) was reached. The USCIS then completed the H1B lottery selection process on April 11, 2017. Some 199,000 petitions were filed this year, which is...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that only the cutoff dates in the 'final action' (FA) chart of the May 2017 Visa Bulletin may be used for purposes of applying for adjustment of status. This applies to both employment-based and family-based cases....
President Trump has announced his intentions to nominate Lee Francis Cissna to serve as the new Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Mr. Cissna currently serves as the Director of Immigration Policy for the Office of Policy at the U.S. Department...
