H-1B Initial Electronic Registration Selection Process Completed USCIS has received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2022
News
USCIS today confirmed that for all forms it has reverted to the form rejection criteria it applied before October 2019 regarding blank responses. In 2019,
USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Thursday, April 1, at 11:00 p.m. through Friday, April 2, at 3:00
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced updated guidance for adjudicating requests for P-1A nonimmigrant classification for internationally recognized athletes. The guidance clarifies the meaning of the phrase “major United States sports
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants,
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the withdrawal of the affidavit of support proposed rule, consistent with DHS’s commitment to reduce barriers within the legal
WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security today published a Federal Register notice (FRN) extending and re-designating Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, effective March 31,
Effective March 18, USCIS has updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual (PDF, 362.73 KB) regarding the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification based on the settlement agreement resulting from
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, made based on
Today, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that the government will no longer defend the 2019 public charge rule as doing so is neither in
In light of some states and municipalities relaxing mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reminds the public that we will
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas is designating Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, until September 2022. This new designation of
USCIS today announced flexibilities for certain foreign students affected by delayed receipt notices for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. These flexibilities apply only to applications received
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2021. Feb. 12,
Starting Feb. 24, 2021, petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting a change or extension of status to E-3 classification will have the
WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test beginning March 1, 2021. On
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S.
On Jan. 20, 2021, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the secretary of Homeland Security to reinstate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for eligible Liberians and to provide
USCIS today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 9 and run through noon Eastern on March 25. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a final rule that will modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect
On Jan. 7, USCIS announced the H-1B Selection final rule, which amended the regulations governing the process by which USCIS selects H-1B registrations for the filing of H-1B
On Jan. 29, we published the 07/23/20 edition of Form I-690, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, and changed the filing location. Applicants previously filed
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it will temporarily suspend in-person services at all field offices, asylum offices and application support centers on Jan.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), have announced the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to
Starting in January, we will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551,
On Jan. 8, we adjusted the filing location for certain foreign students filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. Please review our Direct Filing Addresses for Form
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, USCIS is experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for some applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox
On Jan. 5, we changed the filing location for Form I-924, Application For Regional Center Designation Under the Immigrant Investor Program, and Form I-924A, Annual
USCIS announced today that it will automatically extend parole, and employment authorization, if applicable, for parolees who timely applied for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Haitian Family Reunification Parole and Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Programs to be Terminated WASHINGTON— In keeping with the agency’s August 2019 announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants,
n response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updated guidance (PDF, 319.68 KB) expanding the discretionary criteria USCIS officers use to determine whether to interview applicants filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust
In compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is: Accepting first-time requests for consideration
A Dec. 1, 2020, order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updated guidance for adjudicating EB-2 and EB-3 Schedule A petitions for registered nurses, physical therapists, and aliens of
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the transmission to the Federal Register of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would prioritize the
WASHINGTON-U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Deputy Director of Policy Joseph Edlow issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern
USCIS has updated its Policy Manual with guidance on the final fee rule, which adjusts the fees we charge for certain immigration benefit applications and petitions. The
WASHINGTON—Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule (PDF) that adjusts fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefit requests to ensure U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Starting June 29, 2020, petitioners residing in certain states must file the following forms at the Nebraska Service Center, instead of the Vermont Service Center:
On June 26, the Texas Service Center will move to a new address. Although the move is scheduled for June 26, USCIS cannot accept mail
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in phases over the next
USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, May 20, at 11:59 p.m. through Thursday, May 21, at 3:00 a.m.
USCIS is introducing a new interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system today for English and Spanish calls to the USCIS Contact Center. The new IVR
WASHINGTON—On May 14, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will publish an interim final rule (IFR) implementing the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018, which protects
WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2B requirements to help support the U.S. food supply chain, maintain essential
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that U.S. service members and veterans can now file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, online. Online filing allows aliens to submit forms electronically, check the status
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that U.S. service members and veterans can now file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, online. Online filing allows aliens to submit forms electronically, check the status
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30 to assist applicants and
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognizes that there are immigration-related challenges as a direct result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We continue to carefully
On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it is updating its Policy Manual (PDF, 307 KB) to align with the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals’
On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS offices will begin to reopen on May
WASHINGTON— The Department of Homeland Security, with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that H-1B cap-subject petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2021, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption,
USCIS announced on March 30, 2020 that it would reuse previously submitted biometrics in order to process I-765 Applications for EAD renewals due to the temporary
USCIS has received enough electronic registrations during the initial period to reach the FY 2021 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap). We randomly selected from among
***UPDATE 4/1/20: USCIS has announced April 1st that nearly 275,000 unique registrations were submitted during the initial registration period. Roughly 46% of all registrations were
***UPDATE 4/1/20: The parties filed their joint status report: Save Jobs asked the court to move forward with the case and let them file a
If your I-129 or I-140 has already been filed and accepted by USCIS, they will continue to process in premium processing, but if they cannot
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the temporary suspension of premium processing service for fiscal year (FY) 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions. Petitioners filing FY
On Dec. 6, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that we would implement the electronic registration process for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will not use pre-paid mailers to send out any communication or final notices for fiscal year 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions,
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) final fiscal year (FY) 2019 agency statistics are now available online. These statistics include naturalizations, green cards, employment authorizations
On Jan. 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a Federal Register notice formally announcing the implementation of the H-1B registration process for fiscal year 2021
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it has completed a successful pilot testing phase and is implementing the registration process in the next
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it will be implementing the new registration process for the upcoming H-1B lottery. Employers seeking to file
Yesterday, the court in the ongoing H-4 EAD litigation issued an order removing the case from abeyance and scheduled a new round of briefs to
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit sent the H-4 EAD lawsuit back to the lower court for further review. This basically
*****UPDATE 10/11/19 Federal judges in both New York and California have now blocked the public charge rule from going into effect. USCIS is prevented from
Ever since the new biometrics requirement was put in place, USCIS has been delaying I-539 and I-765 applications even though they were filed concurrently with
Losing a job is an emotional and stressful situation. You may feel shocked, angry, depressed, worried, or all of the above. But, when your visa
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit ordered DHS to file a report addressing the status of the H-4 EAD
If you are in F-1 status with an OPT card that expired between April and October and have filed a change of status to H-1B
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions to pay a $10
USCIS has returned all fiscal year (FY) 2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in our computer-generated random selection process. On May 17, USCIS announced that
9/9/19 UPDATE: we have received approximately 99% of the petitions back that we are expecting. We will be contacting USCIS regarding the remaining petitions that
On June 10, we will begin premium processing for all remaining FY 2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions. Starting on that date, petitioners may file Form I-907, Request
***UPDATE 8/14/19: The first H-4 and H-4 EAD renewal I filed after the biometrics went into effect has finally been approved. The applications were filed
On June 10, USCIS will begin premium processing for all remaining FY 2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions. Starting on that date, the sponsoring employer may file Form
On May 20, 2019, the Texas Service Center will begin processing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for certain H-1B cap-exempt petitions requesting: A change
USCIS has completed data entry for all fiscal year 2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in our computer-generated random selection process, including those selected under the
Today, 4/15/19 we received our first I-797 receipt notices in the mail for some of the premium processing petitions selected in the lottery that were
On April 10, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated regular cap and the U.S. advanced
***UPDATE 4/12/19 – Our office has begun receiving email notifications for premium processing petitions selected in the lottery from both the Vermont Service Center and
USCIS has announced today that it received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular (Bachelor’s) cap for fiscal year 2020.
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions projected as needed to reach the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap for fiscal year 2020. USCIS
USCIS has launched an H-1B Employer Data Hub to provide information to the public on employers petitioning for H-1B workers. The data hub is part of our
On May 20, USCIS will begin premium processing for FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change of status on their Form I-129, Petition for a
USCIS has confirmed that H-1B petitions filed in the April 2019 lottery and requesting a change of status can file in premium processing: Premium processing will be offered in
Simple, smart changes to make the H-1B visa program work better WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the start of the fiscal
USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, March 12, for all H-1B petitions. If you received a request for evidence (RFE) for a pending petition, you should
USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, March 12, for all H-1B petitions. If you received a request for evidence (RFE) for a pending petition, you should
****Update on the pending litigation: on March 13, 2019, the court granted DHS’ motion requesting additional time to file its brief. Instead of March 18th,
Today, USCIS announced that it will resume premium processing on Tuesday, Feb. 19, only for those H-1B petitions filed on or before Dec. 21, 2018. The previously announced
Now that we know that the cap-subject H-1B filing window will again be the first five business days of April and requires full petition filing,
Final Rule Effective Beginning April 1, 2019 WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted today for public inspection, a final rule amending regulations governing H-1B cap-subject
As immigrationgirl.com readers know, DHS previously proposed to establish a mandatory Internet-based electronic registration process for petitioners seeking to file H-1B petitions for cap-subject beneficiaries.
USCIS will resume premium processing on Monday, Jan. 28, for all H-1B cap petitions that remain pending from the April 2018 lottery. If you currently have a