General Blog

The U.S. Department of State plans to restart a program allowing nonimmigrants to renew their visas from within the United States rather than travel abroad to revalidate their visas at a U.S. consulate. Expected later this year, it will begin with a test pilot program with certain H and L visa holders, and is meant to alleviate significant visa application…Read More

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending our temporary waiver of the requirement that civil surgeons must sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before an individual applies for the underlying immigration benefit (including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status). The waiver was originally effective until Sept. 30,…Read More

Effective Sept. 26, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is automatically extending the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 24 months for lawful permanent residents who file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. Lawful permanent residents who properly file Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card may receive this extension.…Read More

Pursuant to https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/exceptions-to-p-p-10014-10052-suspending-entry-of-immigrants-non-immigrants-presenting-risk-to-us-labor-market-during-economic-recovery.html if a U.S. employer has any employees that were working in L-1 or H-1B status before departing the U.S., and are currently outside of the U.S., they should be exempt from Presidential Proclamation 10052, if the specific employee is returning to the U.S. “to resume ongoing employment in the United States in the same position with the…Read More

AILA states that it “has heard reports that USCIS may be selecting more H-1B registrations for the FY2021 cap as early as this week, and that a new H-1B filing period may be opening August 17 through mid-November, 2020.” This is potentially great news for U.S. employers, nonimmigrant students and nonimmigrants looking to change status to H-1B. Our law office…Read More

The USCIS Memos of August 9, 2018 (PM-602-1060.1) and May 10, 2018 (PM-602-1060) both titled “Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants” was enjoined nationwide on February 6, 2020 (See Guilford College v. Wolf, 2/6/20). On August 3, 2020, USCIS withdrew its appeal of the Court’s injunction in effect making the preliminary injunction permanent. This means that the application of duration of status (D/S) rules…Read More

The current USCIS Policy Manual defines “Inspection” as “the formal process of determining whether an alien may lawfully enter the United States. Immigration laws as early as 1875 specified that inspection must occur prior to an alien’s landing in or entering the United States and that prohibited aliens were to be returned to the country from which they came at no cost or penalty to the conveyor or vessel.[1] Inspections for…Read More

The published Executive Order dated April 22, 2020, becomes effective at 11:59 P.M. EDT April 23, 2020. It is limited in scope as follows: (a)  The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall apply only to aliens who: (i)    are outside the United States on the effective date of this proclamation; (ii)   do not have…Read More