USCIS is granting Work permits to people for 3-4 years while their U Visa Applications are pending. Applicants need to apply for their Bona Fide Work Permits.U Visas are taking the same time as before.
After Acquired Spouses of U Visa Applicants can apply for their U Visas:
U Visa Applicants can file U-2 Visa petitions for their spouses who they marry AFTER their U Visa petitions have been filed if they are married at the time the principal U Visa petition is approved (adjudicated favorably), rather than when the principal petition was filed. USCIS has adopted the decision issued by the Ninth Circuit in Medina...
EB-5 Guidelines by USCIS post Behring Regional Center LLC v. Wolf decision:
USCIS is applying the EB-5 Investor Program regulations that were in effect before the rule was changed on Nov. 21, 2019, including: · The minimum investment amount of $500,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) and $1 million in a metropolitan area; · State designations of high unemployment TEAs; and · Prior USCIS procedures for the removal of...
PRACTICE ADVISORY: IMMIGRANT VISA(GREEN CARD) PROCESSING DELAYS
After enduring the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year, most U.S. embassies and consulates are not operating at full capacity. Due to limited appointment availability, a significant backlog was created for immigrant (IV) and nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants waiting a visa interview. IVs are for those seeking to come to...
International Entrepreneur (IE) parole program Reinstated
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that the International Entrepreneur (IE) parole program, first introduced in 2017, will remain a viable program for foreign entrepreneurs to create and develop start-up entities with high growth potential in the United States. Under the IE program, Parole may be granted to up to three entrepreneurs...
Reminder of Current Policy Boarding of Lawful Permanent Residents
Unexpired Valid Permanent Resident Card • Passengers with valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (PRC or “Green Card”) may be boarded without any additional documentation. Re-Entry Permit (I-327): Valid and Unexpired • Passengers with valid, unexpired re-entry permit are permitted to board without additional documentation.• The document must be the original...
House Democrats approved two separate bills on immigration
House Democrats approved two separate bills on immigration Thursday, marking the first time Congress has voted on a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants since Democrats won slim majorities in both chambers of Congress with President Joe Biden in the White House. The two bills are: American Dream and Promise...
DHS Announces DOJ Will No Longer Defend the 2019 Public Charge Final Rule – No Need for Form I-944 Public Charge Petitions soon:
In a statement released on March 9, DHS announced: “Following the Seventh Circuit dismissal this afternoon, the final judgment from the Northern District of Illinois, which vacated the 2019 public charge rule, went into effect. As a result, the 1999 interim field guidance on the public charge inadmissibility provision (i.e.,...
H-1b Selection Process Back to Random Selection (Not WAGE BASED SELECTION) for FY2022
DHS is delaying the effective date of the new Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions based on Wage levels from March 9, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021. For the upcoming H-1B cap season, USCIS will apply the current regulations (random selection) to any registration period that...
The Biden Immigration Policy
January 20, 2021. U.S. Department of Labor Withdraws Program Bulletin Announcing Revised Interpretation and New Guidance under the H-1B Visa Program for Review
On January 20, 2021, the Department of Labor withdrew its Notice concerning which employers of H-1B workers must file Labor Condition Applications, from the Office of the Federal Register prior to its publication. It is now withdrawing the Bulletin and Wage and Hour Division Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) for the...
Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States of certain nationals
On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation titled “Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States” ending travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 that had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya,...
H-1B Final Rule to end H-1B visa lottery: published on January 8, 2021, goes into effect on March 9, 2021
What Would the Rule Do and Who Would It Exclude?: Instead of the H-1B lottery, the USCIS will receive registrations before the start of a new fiscal year (probably before the first of April) and if more registrations are submitted than the current H-1B limit allows, the agency will approve...
Key Changes on Day One of Biden Administration’s Immigration Announcements
Pause on Deportations except of those posing danger to national security.Enforcement Priorities of those who threaten . National security, Border security or Public safety.Strengthening DACA.Ending bans on majority-Muslim and African countries.Stopping border wall construction.Extending Deferred Extended Departure protections for Liberians.Reversing the Trump efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from Census count.
Parole For U Visa Applicants And Their Dependents
USCIS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL IMPLEMENT (ISSUE) PAROLES FOR U VISA APPLICANTS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS OVERSEAS. See below for a copy of their announcement: