Headlines: 1. U.S. Supreme Court Denies Rehearing in U.S. v. Texas -The Court’s refusal to reconsider the case means that DAPA and expanded DACA remain blocked. The original DACA program is unaffected. 2. USCIS Increases Validity of Work Permits to Two Years for Asylum Applicants -USCIS has increased the validity period for initial or renewal […]
Headlines: 1. Congress Averts Government Shutdown, Extends Immigration Programs to December -The immigration-related programs extended by the bill include E-Verify, EB-5 regional centers, EB-4 non-ministerial religious workers, and Conrad 30 for J-1 medical workers. 2. USCIS No Longer Requires 2 Photos With Naturalization Application -All Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) applicants, except those who reside […]
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Announces Potential Visa Availability in the Coming Months -The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for October 2016 provided an overview of potential visa number availability. 2. State Dept. Announces Expiration of Two Employment-Based Visa Categories -The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for October 2016 announced the expiration at the end of […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Proposes Rule on Parole for Certain International Entrepreneurs -has published a proposed rule to allow certain international entrepreneurs to be considered for parole (temporary permission to be in the United States) so they may start or scale their businesses in the United States. 2. ETA Announces iCERT Enhancement to Streamline H-2A, H-2B […]
Headlines: 1. EB-4 Visa Limits Reached for Special Immigrants From India -Starting on August 1, 2016, applicants from India who filed Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant on or after January 1, 2010, will not be able to obtain an immigrant visa or adjust status until new visa numbers become available. 2. […]
Headlines: 1. Various Categories Oversubscribed for August, State Dept. Reports -High demand in various employment-based visa categories has required the establishment of cut-off dates in August. 2. USCIS Has Returned Unselected FY 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions -Those who submitted an H-1B cap-subject petition between April 1 and April 7, 2016, and do not receive a […]
Headlines: 1. Split Supreme Court Decision Blocks DAPA -In U.S. v. Texas, the Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings that block the Obama administration’s plan to allow approximately 4 million parents of U.S. citizen children to remain in the United States and obtain work authorization. 2. USCIS Celebrates SAVE’s 30th Anniversary, Launches Redesigned Website […]
Headlines: 1. House Holds Hearing on H-2B Temporary Foreign Worker Program -Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) noted, among other things, that according to USCIS statistics, as of June 2, 2016, the agency had already approved petitions for 12,727 returning H-2B workers, “with 1,171 potential additional returning workers in the pipeline.” 2. State Dept. Releases DV-2017 Results […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS, DOS Launch e-Approval for H-2A Petitions -USCIS and DOS announced the launch of e-Approval for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for the H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) classification. 2. USCIS Will Now Use Pre-Paid Mailers To Send H-2A Receipt Notices -Coinciding with the launch of e-Approval, USCIS has begun using pre-paid […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Proposes Fee Increases, New Fee for Annual Certification of EB-5 Regional Centers -Among other things, USCIS proposes a new fee of $3,035 to recover the full cost of processing the EB-5 Annual Certification of Regional Center, Form I-924A. 2. USCIS Completes Data Entry of FY 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions, Begins Rejections -USCIS […]