We are starting a new process for most applicants, petitioners, and requestors, and their attorneys and accredited representatives to pay for certain benefit request forms by mail or remotely instead of in person at a field office. Under the new process, applicants may mail either a check or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, to the […]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 20,716 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the first half of fiscal year 2024 with start dates on or before March 31, 2024, under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (FY 2024 TFR). Jan.9, 2024, was […]
Editorial credit: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com In February, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will launch online organizational accounts and make Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, available for online filing for H-1B petitioners for fiscal year (FY) 2025. What You Need to Know All legal representative account holders and all organizations with an H-1B registrant account, as well as new users, will […]
Editorial credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance regarding the F and M student nonimmigrant classifications, including the agency’s role in adjudicating applications for employment authorization, change of status, extension of stay, and reinstatement of status for these students and their dependents in the United States. This […]
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 […]
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 […]
Editorial credit: Lyonstock / Shutterstock.com USCIS announced on October 26 that we will consider two-year extensions of the initial parole period on a case-by-case basis for certain Afghan nationals who: Were paroled into the United States between July 30, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022, with an OAR or PAR class of admission; Were under 14 […]
Editorial credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the 2-year foreign residence requirement for the nonimmigrant exchange visitor (J) classification. The update adds information about how USCIS determines whether the requirement has been met, the evidence a benefit requestor may submit to show compliance with […]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is opening a new service center to try to fix some of its most egregious backlogs. The agency reportedly has already reassigned 150 employees – and plans to have over 300 – to staff a virtual service center, which will eventually operate fully remotely (though it will accept paper as well […]
El Paso, Texas / USA – March 7, 2020: A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol vehicle drives along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Shutterstock) By Raul Pinto, Immigration Impact On January 5, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new measures to process people seeking asylum at ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border who are asking to […]