posted on: July 2, 2020
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is again extending the response time flexibility, initially announced on 3/31/2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1 through September 11, 2020: Requests for evidence Continuations to request evidence (N-14) Notices of Intent to Deny […]
posted on: June 26, 2020
On June 23, USCIS released a statement clarifying the impact of the newly released ban on new H-1B visas and other types of nonimmigrant visas. The restrictions do not affect those working in the U.S. on a valid H-1B or similar visa. Valid visa holders who are currently abroad will not be prevented from entering or reentering […]
posted on: June 25, 2020
On May 29, 2020, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, issued his “Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers from the People’s Republic of China” (Proclamation). President Trump says that allowing certain nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to enter the United States under an […]
posted on: June 23, 2020
USCIS announced on 6/22/2020 a new rule that affects all asylum seekers in the United States. The new rule prevents aliens who, absent good cause, illegally entered the United States from obtaining employment authorization based on a pending asylum application. Additionally, the rule defines new bars and denials for employment authorization, such as for certain criminal behavior; […]
posted on: June 22, 2020
The second quarter of FY2020 brought a slight increase in H-1B RFE rates to 35.8%, which is up 0.5% from FY2019’s second quarter. By the same comparison, the overall H-1B approval rate jumped up 4% to 87.1%. The rate of approval following an RFE is 68.2%, which may seem low, but is a 10% increase […]
posted on: June 22, 2020
Effective August 21, 2020, USCIS is eliminating the rule requiring it to process initial employment authorization documents (EADs) for asylum applicants within 30 days. Asylum applicants are prohibited from filing for an initial EAD until 150 days after submitting their asylum application. By removing the 30-day rule, asylum applicants will likely have to wait well […]
posted on: June 18, 2020
On June 15, the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII forbids workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The ruling was based on the meaning of “discrimination on the basis of sex” in existing federal law. Justice Gorsuch wrote both opinions, and was joined by Justices Roberts, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Kagan […]
posted on: June 17, 2020
On June 18, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration, deciding that President Trump is blocked from carrying out his plan to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The 5-4 ruling is based on a lack of proper process and that the Trump administration did not give a proper justification before ending the program. This […]
posted on: June 16, 2020
One of the key principles guiding the U.S. immigration system has been admitting foreign workers with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy. Current U.S. immigration law provides several paths for foreign workers to enter the United States for employment purposes on a temporary or permanent basis. This fact sheet provides basic information about […]
posted on: June 15, 2020
By Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from Immigration Impact In sweeping new proposed regulations announced on June 11, the Trump administration took the first step toward administering a final blow to the U.S. asylum system. The proposed rules, which impose nearly a dozen new bars to asylum, would rewrite asylum law to exclude nearly all people seeking refuge. Should […]
