The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed delaying enforcement of the REAL ID requirement for passengers of domestic airlines to give travelers two more years to update to REAL ID-compliant...more
On April 12, 2024, USCIS issued a Federal Register notice establishing procedures for Palestinians eligible for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) valid through Aug. 13,...more
Students studying in the United States in F or M visa status must have a foreign residence that they have no intention of abandoning. A new USCIS policy manual update has clarified that being the beneficiary of a PERM...more
3/15/2024
/ E-Verify ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
OPT ,
PERM ,
Sponsors ,
STEM ,
Students ,
USCIS
USCIS announced the extension and redesignation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months from April 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. The redesignation is based on the continuing civil war and the accompanying...more
USCIS previously deferred its proposed filing fee increase until early 2024 – and the increase might be coming out very soon! This increase will come on top of the increased premium processing fees that will go into effect on...more
Premium processing will become more expensive starting on February 26, 2024. According to USCIS, it is raising the fees to adjust for inflation.
The newly generated income, estimated to be approximately $185 million, will...more
USCIS has announced that it is extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) re-registration periods for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan from 60 days to the end of the full 18-month extension...more
USCIS has issued new policy guidance explaining how it determines whether a beneficiary has met the two-year home residence requirement applicable to nonimmigrant exchange visitors in J status....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may require employers to file amended H-1B visa petitions when relocating employees to new locations and did not fail to follow or otherwise circumvent rulemaking requirements...more
USCIS announced that it is no longer necessary to provide supporting documentation to change or update a prior gender selection on immigration forms. The intention is to “reduce barriers to travel, employment, services, and...more
As of January 6, 2023, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans and their immediate family members may be eligible for safe passage into the United States for up to two years as parolees if they have a financial...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma for an additional 18 months from November 26, 2022, through May 25, 2024, due to the extraordinary and temporary conditions in...more
USCIS is resuming the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) Program beginning with already pending CFRP applications. This program started in 2007 and has been on hold for some time. It allows beneficiaries of approved...more
Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions are confusing. Before you can figure out whether one of the various extensions applies, you need to identify the EAD category....more
As the cap H-1B registration process for fiscal year (FY) 2023 closes, and the lottery is about to begin, this might be a good time to look back at the results of the cap registrations from past fiscal years....more
USCIS has changed its mission statement again – this time to adopt a more immigration-friendly stance.
In 2018, USCIS, under the Trump Administration, changed its mission statement to align with President Donald Trump’s...more
As 2021 comes to an end, the White House and the Department of State have announced:
1.South African Travel Restrictions Lifted.
The 14-day travel restrictions on southern African countries will be lifted as of...more
12/28/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Electronic Travel Authorization Program (eTA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Travel Restrictions ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Virus Testing ,
Visas ,
Waivers
Instructions allowing Hong Kong Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries to apply for employment authorization have been published in the Federal Register.
On August 5, 2021, President Biden granted DED for...more
Diversity Visa (DV) Electronic Registration for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 opens October 6, 2021, at noon ET and closes on November 9, 2021, at noon ET.
There is no cost to register, but, if selected, applicants must pay the...more
New dollar eligibility criteria for investment amounts, qualifying investors, and re-parole considerations under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER) will take effect on October 1, 2022.
The Biden Administration...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that as of October 1, 2021, all applicants for Green Cards must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
There are some exemptions from the requirement, but...more
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has announced several new USCIS policies meant to improve the legal immigration system, eliminate barriers, and reduce burdens on applicants...more
The Biden administration is breathing life into the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER). It has announced that the IER will be launched anew, because it will “strengthen and grow our nation’s economy through increased...more
Syrian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended until September 30, 2022. DHS announced that the 60-day registration and re-registration period for Syrian TPS and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) was to...more
On January 19, 2021, just before the end of his term, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum granting Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Venezuelans for a period of eighteen months. DED is a humanitarian grant...more