On August 17, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued final guidance on its updated L1B adjudications policy. This USCIS policy memorandum, which went into effect August 31st, is substantially similar to the draft guidance released on March 24, 2015. Change to L1B Trend? The...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced at the end of August 2015 that certain family-based immigration cases will be moved from the Vermont Service Center (VSC) to the California Service Center (CSC). Such internal case transfers are fairly routine, and typically are to balance...
On August 10, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a draft memorandum regarding certain legal requirements for the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor category. The memo specifically addresses two key EB5 requirements: job creation and sustaining the EB5 investment over the two-year...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 24, 2015 that the agency's older eFiling system is being decommissioned. This system, which the USCIS now refers to as the "legacy eFiling system," has been replaced by the more modern Electronic Immigration System (ELIS). This...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on April 15, 2015, on a technical matter under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). U.S. immigration law generally limits dependent or derivative status to children who are under twenty-one years of age. In the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder to nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone of the August 18, 2015 deadline for temporary protected status (TPS) registration. Eligible individuals must apply by the deadline in order to obtain the corresponding immigration benefits. Eligibility...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an explanation regarding signature waivers for permanent resident cards (i.e. green cards). This is in reference to situations in which a form I-551 (commonly, a "green card") bears the notation signature waived, rather than the green card...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that the Vermont Service Center (VSC) is experiencing delays in issuing J-1 waiver approval notices. This is creating problems for J-1 physicians who need these notices from the VSC in order to proceed with the waiver...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued final guidance specifying the requirements for filing amended H1B petitions based on changes in worksite location. This guidance makes some concessions to employers of H1B workers, in response to concerns raised following the May 2015 issuance of initial...
Maria M. Odom, the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman), has submitted her office's 2015 Annual Report to Congress. This annual report includes lists of problems within the immigration system identified by the CIS Ombudsman's office, as well as recommended solutions. Background on the CIS Ombudsman The...
