“Extreme Vetting” and the Use of Form DS-5535
In 2017, the Trump Administration began the implementation of an “extreme vetting” program for certain foreign nationals requesting admission to the United States. As part of this program, a foreign...
View ArticleJuly 2019 Visa Bulletin Check-In
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the...
View ArticleOmbudsman’s Office Hosting Teleconference on H1B Enforcement
On July 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is putting on a teleconference related to H1B enforcement issues. The...
View ArticleNewsFlash! USCIS Clarifies F2A Category is “Current” in July
The USCIS has updated the Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin webpage to clarify that the family-based, second preference “A” (FB2A) category is “current” under the July 2019 Visa...
View ArticleKen Cuccinelli Selected as New USCIS Acting Director
On June 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced that Ken Cuccinelli would be assuming the role of Acting Director of the U.S. Citizenship and...
View ArticleCommunities Respond to President Trump’s Mass Deportation Efforts
On June 17, 2019, President Trump took to Twitter to announce upcoming efforts to detain and deport “millions” of undocumented immigrants. Senior administrators confirmed his claims, adding that final...
View ArticleUSCIS Announces Measures to Reduce N-400 and I-485 Processing Times
Processing times at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have long been a point of concern. And the Trump Administration’s efforts to implement roadblocks in the legal immigration...
View ArticleUSCIS Expands Digital Access to FOIA
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an upgrade to its online tool, the Freedom of Information Act Immigration Records System (FIRST). FIRST now allows stakeholders to...
View ArticleAugust 2019 Visa Bulletin: Significant Retrogression in Multiple Categories
The August 2019 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). There are some notable retrogressions in employment-based (EB) categories, with EB3 India moving to January 1,...
View ArticleBill to Remove Per-Country Limits Advances, but Significant Hurdles Remain
On July 10, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019. If passed into law, the bill would eliminate the per-country cap on...
View ArticleMurthyAudio: Visa Issues for Employees
An overview of immigration issues related to employees traveling to the United States from abroad is provided in this teleconference from July 3, 2019. Discussed are situations employees may face,...
View ArticleFee Increase Implemented for F, M, and J Applicants
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented an increase in application fees charged by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) for both students and schools. The changed fees...
View ArticleICE Levies Massive Fines to Certain Undocumented Immigrants
Resurgence of an Old Executive Order In 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in which he claimed undocumented immigrants are a threat to national security, as “many of these aliens...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Rule Increasing EB5 Investment Requirements Effective 21.Nov.2019
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register a final rule related to the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor program that will...
View ArticleAugust 2019 Visa Bulletin Check-In
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the...
View ArticleChanging Employers After Receiving Employment-Based Green Card
In most situations, to obtain U.S. lawful permanent resident status (i.e., a “green card”) through an employment-based (EB) category, one must be sponsored by a U.S. employer for a position that is...
View ArticleOFLC Replaces iCERT with FLAG System
In early June 2019, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) began rolling out the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system, a cloud-based system,...
View ArticleOrganizations Call for Independent Immigration Courts
In a recent letter to Congress, several organizations, including the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association of Immigration Judges, called for the creation of immigration courts...
View ArticleCanadian Physicians and U.S. Immigration Policies
Any foreign national who wishes to practice medicine in the United States must take into account certain immigration considerations. For Canadian citizens, however, there are a number of unique issues...
View ArticleUSCIS Ends Courtesy Premium Processing of Concurrently Filed I-539
It is fairly common for dependents of a nonimmigrant worker to file an application to extend / change nonimmigrant status (form I-539) concurrently with the principal spouse’s petition for a...
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