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.
USCIS 60-day notice and request for comments on proposed revisions to the electronic H-1B Registration Tool. Comments are due 8/26/19. Federal Register Notice
USCIS released a fact sheet on naturalization including information about the naturalization process and naturalization statistics for FY2018.
USCIS is announcing the expansion of its digital Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records System (FIRST). FIRST is the only system in the U.S. government that allows users to submit and track FOIA requests and receive documents digitally. This process will save time, improve efficiency, and reduce potential errors that can occur with manually [...]
USCIS released a report on H-1B approvals and denials for the top 30 employers with the most initial and continuing approvals for FY2018. The report also includes data on the percentage of completions with RFEs from FY2015 to the first quarter of FY2019.
USCIS releases data on H-1B receipts, completions, and RFE from FY2015 to FY2019 (through 3/31/19).
USCIS will begin premium processing for all remaining FY2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions on 6/10/19. Petitioners may file a Request for Premium Processing Service, with the USCIS service center processing their petition on that date. USCIS will not use pre-paid mailers between 6/10/19 and 6/24/19. Read the news release.
You may file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Non-immigrant Status, online if you are applying as a single applicant (without co-applicants, or legal or accredited representation) to extend your stay and you hold status as a: B-1 temporary visitor for business; B-2 temporary visitor for pleasure; F-1 academic student with a specific status expiration date; [...]
USCIS announced a new strategy known as eProcessing to accelerate USCIS’ transition to a digital business model. eProcessing will be a complete digital experience, from applying for a benefit, to communicating with USCIS, through receiving a decision on a case. As a first step, certain visitors for business, visitors for pleasure, and vocational students [...]
DHS has finalized changes to fees charged by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to international students, exchange visitors and SEVP-certified schools. The new fees will take effect June 24, 2019. Read the news release. Fee increases include: The I-901 SEVIS Fee for F and M international students will increase from $200 to $350. [...]