U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a final rule that will increase the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, to adjust for inflation. The USCIS Stabilization Act established the current premium processing fees and the authority for the Department of Homeland Security to adjust the premium fees on a biennial basis. After [...]
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2024. READ MORE
In consolidated appeals, the court affirmed the district courts’ denials of injunctive relief in cases in which the plaintiffs, a group of Indian nationals with approved EB-2 petitions who have been waiting in a visa queue for more than 10 years, sued to compel USCIS to act on their applications for adjustment of status, where [...]
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) assists individuals and employers in resolving difficulties they are experiencing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
USCIS announced certain renewal applicants who have filed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, qualify for an automatic extension of their expiring employment authorization and/or employment authorization documents (EADs) while their renewal application is pending. Starting today, those who are eligible will receive 180-day extensions in accordance with existing regulations, including those who have applied [...]
USCIS issued policy guidance to affirm that a sole proprietorship may not file an L-1, intracompany transferee petition on behalf of its owner and to clarify that a petitioning organization that fails to timely file an extension of an approved blanket L-1 petition is not required to wait before submitting a new blanket petition. Guidance [...]
Starting Nov. 1, you can only use Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, with the 08/01/2023 edition date. A revised Spanish edition of Form I-9 with an edition date of 08/01/2023 is available for use in Puerto Rico only and by other employers as a translation aid. For more information, visit I-9 Central
USCIS has begun issuing advance parole documents to applicants valid for five years. The extended validity dates for advance parole may be available to individuals who are now eligible for 5-year EADs under an earlier guidance issued by the USCIS on September 27, 2023.
On October 17, 2023, DOS sent for review a Federal Register notice entitled Pilot Program to Resume Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States for Certain Qualified Noncitizens to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. This document, once published, will lay out the eligibility criteria for participation in the Stateside Visa Renewal [...]
USCIS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the H-1B regulations. The NPRM states that the changes will “modernize and improve the efficiency of the H-1B program, add benefits and flexibilities, and improve integrity measures.” The NPRM will be published in the Federal Register on 10/23/23. READ MORE