posted on: January 29, 2021
USCIS announced that, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors who are responding to certain requests for evidence, continuations, notices of intent, and motions to reopen, among other things. In addition, USCIS will consider a Form I-290B or Form […]
posted on: January 25, 2021
On his first day in office, President Biden took significant steps towards undoing the harm of the Trump administration’s immigration policies—and reforming our punitive and inhumane enforcement system. In response to years of work by immigrants and advocates, Biden quickly signed a series of executive actions related to immigration. Here is a summary of eight […]
posted on: January 22, 2021
In early February, U.S. Embassy Kabul will begin a phased resumption of immigrant visa interviews. The initial phase will involve rescheduling applicants who had their interviews canceled due to the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section halting in-person appearances because of COVID. Once this phase is complete, the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section, in coordination with the National […]
posted on: January 20, 2021
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), which is responsible for all U.S. embassies and consulates, has provided an update on its plan for the phased resumption of routine visa service across the globe. While this provides the general plan on how it will go about restarting normal visa services, no timelines are provided. To the […]
posted on: January 19, 2021
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new policy, effective January 26, 2021, which will require airlines to obtain negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results for all international airline passengers arriving in the United States. The test must be from within three days of the flight. In the alternative, the passenger […]
posted on: January 18, 2021
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a final rule changing the way U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects the registrations of U.S. employers that want to file H-1B petitions subject to the annual “cap.” The end result could dramatically reduce the number of recent foreign graduates who can work in the United States and […]
posted on: January 15, 2021
Starting in January, we will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (PRC or “Green Card”), with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action. LPRs file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, when their Green Cards expire […]
posted on: January 12, 2021
On Thursday, USCIS announced the final rule that will modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and better ensure the most highly skilled foreign workers benefit from the temporary employment program. Modifying the H-1B cap selection process will incentivize employers to offer […]
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Per USCIS: As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, an increase in filings, current postal service volume and other external factors, you may experience a delay of four to six weeks in receiving your receipt notice after properly filing an application or petition with a USCIS lockbox. These delays will not affect the receipt date which […]
