USCIS issued policy guidance to address requirements for “residence” in statutory provisions related to citizenship, and to rescind previous guidance regarding children of U.S. government employees and members of U.S. armed forces outside the United States. This policy is effective 10/29/19.
USCIS advises, until further notice, employers should continue using the Form I-9 currently available on I-9 Central, even after the expiration date of August 31 has passed. USCIS will provide updated information about the new version of the form as it becomes available.
We have been informed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), that following a review of the dates listed in the September 2019 Visa Bulletin, the entire EB-3 category has immediately been made "unavailable” for the remainder of FY2019. This means that the annual limits have been reached on these categories and additional numbers are [...]
USCIS announced that it has returned all FY2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in the lottery. Petitioners who haven’t received a receipt notice or a returned petition for a cap-subject H-1B petition by August 29, 2019, should contact USCIS for assistance. Read the USCIS News Release.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that clearly defines long-standing law to better ensure that aliens seeking to enter and remain in the United States — either temporarily or permanently — are self-sufficient and rely on their own capabilities and the resources of family members, sponsors, and private organizations rather [...]
USCIS will publish a final rule on July 24 that makes a number of significant changes to its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, marking the first significant revision of the program’s regulations since 1993. The final rule will become effective on Nov. 21, 2019. New developments under the final rule include: Raising the minimum investment [...]
USCIS is revising the current naturalization test with improvements to ensure it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant’s civics knowledge and that it reflects best practices in adult education assessments. The former USCIS director signed the Revision of the Naturalization Civics Test Memorandum. This memorandum announces the revision of the [...]
We have been informed that due to the new biometrics requirement for all I‑539 applicants, USCIS has discontinued its prior practice of providing premium processing as a courtesy for I‑539s filed concurrently with an I‑129 petition. We believe this could cause significant delays and impact H-4 and L-2 EAD extensions.
It was obvious, panic and frustration had gripped my client. She blurted out, “they’re killing it, aren’t they?” She was referring to a memo that had just been issued by the USCIS, but it almost sounded like she was referring to the proverbial golden goose. The memo announced a change in policy, restoring and empowering [...]
On 7/10/19, the House passed H.R. 1044 by a vote of 365 to 65. If enacted, the bill would eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants from 7 percent to 15 percent. Read the pdf of the H.R. 1044 bill.