Immigration Blog

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is preparing some domestic offices to reopen and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4. On March 18, USCIS temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines to protect our workforce and the public. For the latest information on the status of individual offices, check our office closures page. While certain offices are temporarily

President Trump in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsquent economic downturn issued a "Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the US Labor Market During the Economic Recovery." The proclamation becomes effective on April 23, 2020 at 11:59pm, and suspends the entry of any individual seeking to enter the U.S. as an immigrant who: Is outside the United States on the effective date of the proclamation; Does not have a valid immigrant visa on the effective date; and Does not have a valid official travel document (such as transportation letter, boarding foil

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes; the situation remains fluid thus currently the US Government has implemented the following: Updated as of April 1, 2020 1. Changes to USCIS: All USCIS field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) will not provide in-person services until at least May 3, 2020. This includes interviews, naturalization ceremonies and biometric collection appointments. However, we will continue to provide emergency services during this time. If you have an emergency service request, please contact the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS field

On January 23, 2020, the Department of State (DOS) posted for public inspection a final rule in the Federal Register amending its current regulation concerning the issuance of B nonimmigrant visas for individuals on a visit for “pleasure.” The rule became effective as of January 24, 2020. According to DOS, this rule is exempt from notice or comment based on the foreign affairs exemption of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and is necessary to address national security and law enforcement concerns related to the “birth tourism industry.” The new guidelines will not prohibit pregnant women

On December 6, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a requirement for employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, to first electronically register and pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee before filing a petition for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap. USCIS will open an initial registration period from March 1 through March 20, 2020. • During this initial registration period, prospective petitioners or their authorized representatives must electronically submit a separate registration naming each

Earlier this year, USCIS published a final rule amending regulations governing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The final rule reverses the order by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B petitions under the H-1B regular cap and the advanced degree exemption, and it introduces an electronic registration requirement for petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. The electronic registration for FY 2021 would require petitioning employers to complete an electronic pre-registration prior

On September 6, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a proposed regulation to improve the process for granting or denying an initial application for employment authorization documents (EADs) by reforming the current 30-day timeline pertaining to pending asylum applicants. These proposed changes will allow USCIS the time needed to receive, screen, and process applications, which in turn would strengthen national security, maintain technological advances in identity verification, and further deter those who may be attempting to defraud the legal immigration system

On July 24, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a FINAL rule that will make significant changes to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program; the rule will go into effect on Nov. 21, 2019. This is noted to be the first significant revision to the program’s regulations since 1993. Some of these revisions include: • raising the minimum investment amount from $1 million to $1.8 million, marking the first raise since 1990 in order to take account for inflation, as well as automatically adjusting for inflation every five years; • new TEA designations created to address

On July 15, 2019, the Trump Administration issued new proposed regulations limiting the Safe Third Country rule that will have a significant impact on asylum claims for those entering the United States through the U.S.-Mexico Border. The Safe Third Country rule already limits asylum-seekers from claiming asylum in the United States. It essentially bars people from obtaining asylum who have a safe third country to return to, especially if that country has granted them a form of protection. The new regulations would require asylum-seekers who travel through at least one country on their way to