USCIS Updates Guidance on Flexibilities Available During and After Emergencies or Unforeseen Circumstances

posted on: January 6, 2025

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating our Policy Manual to clarify flexibilities that may be available to benefit requestors during and after an emergency or unforeseen circumstance.  The update explains that during certain emergencies or unforeseen circumstances that may present unanticipated challenges to immigration benefit requestors, we may use our discretion to implement certain flexibilities relating […]

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Designation of Lebanon for TPS

posted on: November 26, 2024

On Nov. 26, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a Federal Register notice designating Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from Nov. 27, 2024, through May 27, 2026.   This designation allows eligible Lebanese nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Lebanon) to obtain TPS if they have resided continuously […]

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Administrative Stay of Keeping Families Together

posted on: August 28, 2024

On Aug. 26, 2024, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, in Texas v. Department of Homeland Security, issued an administrative stay, preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting parole in place under Keeping Families Together for 14 days.   To comply with the district court’s administrative stay, USCIS will, until further notice:   Not grant any pending parole […]

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DHS Implements Keeping Families Together

posted on: August 19, 2024

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security today announced a Federal Register notice to implement Keeping Families Together, a process for certain noncitizen spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens. This is part of an effort to promote the unity and stability of families, increase the economic prosperity of American communities, strengthen diplomatic relationships with partner countries in the region, […]

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Biden Eases Visa Process for U.S. Grads and Dreamers

posted on: June 25, 2024

New Policy Opens H-1B Visa Path for DACA Recipients Jun 21, 2024 In a significant move aimed at benefiting U.S.-educated foreign nationals, the Biden administration announced a new policy Tuesday to streamline the work visa process for college graduates, including DACA recipients. ARTICLE AT A GLANCE Graduates from U.S. colleges and universities, including DACA recipients (Dreamers), […]

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Fact Sheet: DHS Announces New Process to Promote the Unity and Stability of Families

posted on: June 18, 2024

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced actions to promote family unity in the immigration process, consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to keeping families together. This announcement utilizes existing authorities to promote family unity, but only Congress can fix our broken immigration system. Under current law, noncitizens married to a U.S. citizen may apply […]

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Fact Sheet: Presidential Proclamation to Suspend and Limit Entry and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule to Restrict Asylum During High Encounters at the Southern Border

posted on: June 7, 2024

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration took decisive new action to strengthen border security, announcing a series of measures that restrict asylum eligibility, and significantly increase the consequences for those who enter without authorization across the southern border. These extraordinary steps, which will be in effect during times when high levels of encounters exceed our ability to […]

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USCIS Updates Guidance for Family-Based Immigrant Visas

posted on: May 22, 2024

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on family-based immigrant visa petitions (including Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative and, in limited situations, family-based Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant). This includes explaining how we handle correcting approval notice errors and requests for consular processing or adjustment of status, as well as routing procedures for approved petitions.   A petitioner submitting Form I-130 must inform USCIS of the […]

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USCIS Streamlines Process for Refugee Employment Authorization Documents

posted on: March 12, 2024

USCIS has begun implementing a streamlined process for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to provide Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) more efficiently to eligible refugees after they are admitted into the United States. This streamlined process shortens the wait time for an EAD to approximately 30 days instead of several months. All individuals admitted into the United States […]

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USCIS Issues Final Rule to Adjust Certain Immigration and Naturalization Fees

posted on: February 1, 2024

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees for the first time since 2016. The final rule will allow USCIS to recover a greater share of its operating costs and support more timely processing of new applications. The final rule is the result of […]

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