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 […]
posted on: August 27, 2024
We announced today that we are updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding when students may be eligible for optional practical training (OPT) extensions for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. We are also clarifying guidance for F/M nonimmigrant students concerning online study, school transfers, the grace period, and study abroad. What You Need to Know This guidance, contained […]
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, […]
posted on: July 19, 2024
USCIS Issues Policy Guidance on Children’s Acquisition of Citizenship USCIS is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding provisions for children’s acquisition of citizenship. We are updating guidance relating to children’s acquisition of citizenship in response to public feedback. We are also updating guidance based on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sessions v. Morales-Santana, 582 U.S. 47 […]
posted on: July 10, 2024
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the upcoming opening of international field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthen strategic partnerships, and facilitate interagency cooperation. To learn more, follow the link: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-to-open-international-field-offices-in-qatar-and-turkey
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), […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
posted on: April 9, 2024
On April 4, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual stating that immigration medical examinations properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after Nov. 1, 2023, on Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, do not expire and retain their evidentiary value indefinitely. Before we issued this updated policy guidance, all properly completed Forms I-693 retained their evidentiary value for two years from the date of the civil […]
