Today, the USCIS announced new procedures for re-scheduling biometric appointments. They reminded everyone that if you do not attend your scheduled appointment or re-schedule in advance by proving good cause, that your underlying application will be considered abandoned. For I-485 applicants, we do not recommend traveling internationally until after your biometrics have been taken to… Continue reading Update on Biometric Appts
Author: Mike Hammond
Canadian Border News
The Canadian government announced that it will re-open its border on Aug 9th to fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents and if conditions remain favorable, on Sept. 7th, to others. For employers operating in both the US and Canada, this is welcome news. For those looking to obtain new or extend TN visas and… Continue reading Canadian Border News
Agency in Meltdown ?
The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman office recently released the 2021 Annual Report and to characterize the Agency as overwhelmed, underfunded and in chaos would be kind. There are over 1.3 million applicants waiting for biometric appointments and a total of over 7 million applications and petitions awaiting adjudication. The most immediate concern is the… Continue reading Agency in Meltdown ?
August Visa Bulletin
Earlier this week, the Department of State (DOS) released the August Visa Bulletin. After seeing such positive forward movement in June and July, it was disappointing as India EB2 and China EB3 did not move or only moved a week. However, China EB2 and India EB3 both moved forward several months. All other categories remained… Continue reading August Visa Bulletin
H-1b Lottery News
The USCIS recently disclosed that they received over 308,000 registrations for FY 2022 H-1b visas. This compares to only 275,000 in FY 2021. Almost half requested MS degree or higher consideration. In the 1st lottery, the USCIS selected 87,500 registrants. Last year, a 2nd lottery was conducted in August and an additional 18,000 were selected… Continue reading H-1b Lottery News
July Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the July Visa Bulletin and as expected, there was significant forward movement in the India and China retrogressed categories. India EB3 saw the biggest forward movement of over a year but, both India EB2 and China EB2 moved forward approx. 7 months. All other categories remained current. The… Continue reading July Visa Bulletin
USCIS Policy Manual Updates
Earlier this week, the USCIS made changes to a number of its policies to improve service. You can read the full announcement here. The list below are the one’s we found most relevant: 1. Issuing RFE’s or NOID’s instead of Denials if sufficient evidence is not included in the initial filing. This will allow you… Continue reading USCIS Policy Manual Updates
U.S. Supreme Court Rules in TPS Case
In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that persons on TPS who entered the U.S. illegally are not eligible to file an I-485 and adjust status. In what I think was an easy decision and a correct interpretation of the law, the Court ruled that having a lawful status now i.e. TPS… Continue reading U.S. Supreme Court Rules in TPS Case
June Visa Bulletin
The Department of State has released the June Visa Bulletin and the Final Action Dates chart showed significant forward movement specifically for India EB3 which jumped almost 9 mos. India EB2 and China EB2 and EB3 also saw forward movement of several months. All other categories and countries remained “current” The Dates for Filing chart… Continue reading June Visa Bulletin
DOL Delays Changes to Prevailing Wages
Last week, the DOL announced that it will delay the implementation of sweeping changes to the way prevailing wages are calculated, introduced in January as one of the last actions of the Trump Administration. The rule is now scheduled to go into effect in Nov. of 2022. This delay will allow the DOL more time… Continue reading DOL Delays Changes to Prevailing Wages
Biometric Appointments Suspended
This week, the USCIS announced that it has suspended all biometric appointments for H-4 and L-2 extensions. This suspension will remain in effect until May 17,2023. It applies to filings made after May 17th and previous filings that have not yet been issued a biometrics notice. If you have received a biometrics notice, you must… Continue reading Biometric Appointments Suspended