USCIS Announces Inflation Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees

USCIS Announces Inflation Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees

Editorial credit: Lyonstock / Shutterstock.com U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a final rule that will increase the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, to adjust for inflation. The USCIS Stabilization Act established the current premium processing fees and the authority for the Department of Homeland Security to adjust the premium fees on a biennial basis. After leaving these […]

USCIS Proposes Significant Changes to the H-1B Program

USCIS Proposes Significant Changes to the H-1B Program

By Leslie Dellon | Nov 3, 2023 The H-1B program may undergo significant changes as early as October 1, 2024. The Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published a 94-page proposed rule to “modernize” the H-1B program.   The H-1B is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category for employers to petition for workers in […]

DHS’ New Work Permit Measures Are Welcome Change with Potential to Address USCIS Challenges

DHS’ New Work Permit Measures Are Welcome Change with Potential to Address USCIS Challenges

By Adriel Orozco | September 29, 2023 On September 20, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced measures to accelerate the processing of some work permits and to extend their validity period for particular categories of individuals. These changes are substantial and are likely to have a meaningful impact on the large work permit backlog […]

New Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Sets Roadblock for Cubans, Others Seeking Green Cards

New Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Sets Roadblock for Cubans, Others Seeking Green Cards

By Emma Winger | September 28, 2023 A recent Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision bars certain recently arrived noncitizens from becoming lawful permanent residents. In Matter of Cabrera-Fernandez, the BIA held that the petitioner had not been paroled into the United States when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released him from immigration detention. Without parole he […]

Congress Introduces Sweeping Immigration Reform Bill ‘DIGNIDAD Act’ to Address Systematic Challenges

Congress Introduces Sweeping Immigration Reform Bill ‘DIGNIDAD Act’ to Address Systematic Challenges

Posted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick // ImmigrationImpact.com Editorial credit: Rob Crandall / Shutterstock.com On May 23, members of Congress introduced what has sadly become an increasingly rare bit of legislation; a comprehensive immigration reform bill aimed at addressing large-scale systematic problems with large-scale systematic action. The “DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act” represents one of the most sweeping attempts to […]

What Is the Law? Under New Immigration Decision, the Answer Isn’t Always Clear

What Is the Law? Under New Immigration Decision, the Answer Isn’t Always Clear

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) published a decision last week seeking to address a seemingly basic question: what law should an immigration judge apply when deciding the case of a noncitizen facing removal? In a time of remote hearings, when the immigration judge, the government attorney, and the noncitizen may all be in different places, figuring […]

Legalizing Marijuana, Once a Pipe Dream on Capitol Hill, Takes an Important Step Forward

Legalizing Marijuana, Once a Pipe Dream on Capitol Hill, Takes an Important Step Forward

Protesters rally in support of the legalization of marijuana in front of The White House in Washington DC on April 2, 2016 (Shutterstock) By Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, The Conversation In early December, the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or the MORE Act. The bill sought to decriminalize marijuana nationally […]