The USCIS has announced that it will once again, extend the deadline for responses to RFE’s, NOID’s, NOIR’s etc by 60 days due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
Category: Government Agency Actions – USCIS, ICE, etc.
EAD Expedite for Healthcare Workers
This week, the USCIS Public Engagement office announced that it will immediately begin to expedite the issuance of EAD’s for healthcare workers if: You have a pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal application ; and Your EAD is expiring within 30 days or less, or has already expired: Please call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 to request expedited processing of your EAD renewal application. If your EAD renewal is pending… Continue reading EAD Expedite for Healthcare Workers
Settlement Highlights Importance of HR Training
In a real-world example of how a misunderstanding of how to conduct employment eligibility verification, the Department of Justice recently published a settlement agreement that demonstrates how a nuanced requirement for human resource professionals can be quite costly to the organization at large. Recently, the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) of the Civil Rights… Continue reading Settlement Highlights Importance of HR Training
Highlights from the Nov. 8 COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing for International Travel
– All foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States. – You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after your vaccination round, whether single or 2-dose series. – Fully vaccinated… Continue reading Highlights from the Nov. 8 COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing for International Travel
USCIS Extends 60 Day Rule
The USCIS has once again extended the response date for RFE’s and other deadlines by 60 days as part of its COVID-19 guidelines and accommodations. The latest extension applies to notices issued through Jan 15, 2022. For a full listing of the COVID accommodations, follow this link.
Visa Ban to be Lifted for travelers who are Vaccinated
Based upon a press event held by the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Jeff Zients, the requirement for an NIE to enter the US for persons from countries subject to the Visa ban will be lifted in November. All persons entering the US will be subject to vaccination requirements. The exact date this will go… Continue reading Visa Ban to be Lifted for travelers who are Vaccinated
COVID Vaccine Mandated for I-485 Applicants
The USCIS through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control have announced that effective October 1, 2021 all medical examinations to be used to support an I-485 filing will require a COVID vaccine. The key date is the date of the examination, not the date of the I-485 filing.… Continue reading COVID Vaccine Mandated for I-485 Applicants
September Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the September Visa Bulletin. This is the last Visa Bulletin of the fiscal year and historically dates have retrogressed or become unavailable as the visa allocation for the year is exhausted however, this year, due to the large number of visas available; 262,288 compared to 156,253 for the… Continue reading September Visa Bulletin
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 ?
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