Washington, DC. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is going to propose a merit-based rule to benefit graduates (master’s and PhDs) of U.S. institutions of higher education and a mandatory online pre-registration requirement for cap-subject H-1B programs. In November, USCIS Director had said they were proposing this new rule. On December 3rd, USCIS published a notice[Read More]
News and Alerts
News flash: USCIS updates Policy Memorandum which provides guidance to USCIS adjudicators regarding their discretion to deny an application, petition without first issuing a RFE or NOID
Washington, D.C. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today posted a policy memorandum (PM) that provides guidance to USCIS adjudicators regarding their discretion to deny an application, petition, or request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) when required initial evidence was not submitted or the evidence of record fails[Read More]
USCIS Updates Notice to Appear Policy Guidance to Support DHS Enforcement Priorities
Washington, DC. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued updated Guidance today that aligns its policy for issuing Form I-862, Notice to Appear, with the immigration enforcement priorities of the Department of Homeland Security. A Notice to Appear (NTA) is a document given to an alien (non-nationals) that instructs them to appear before an immigration judge on a[Read More]
DHS Proposes to Remove the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER) which availed a temporary work authorization and lawful stay for foreign-born entrepreneurs
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing a rule to end a program that allowed certain foreign entrepreneurs to be considered for parole to temporarily come to the United States to develop and build start-up businesses here, known as the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER Final Rule). Earlier a court decision had vacated USCIS’ final rule[Read More]
USCIS to Begin Using More Secure Mail Delivery Service (signature confirmation)
April 27, 2018, Adhikari Law, WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the agency will begin phasing in use of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery service to mail Green Cards and other secure documents beginning April 30, 2018. The first phase will affect documents that need to be[Read More]
E-Verify new interface in late March: All E-Verify Cases With A Final Case Result Should Be Closed
Washington, D.C. On March 14, 2018 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that E-Verify will transfer all case data to a new interface later this month. To assist in the transition USCIS required all open cases must reach a final case result and be closed. Open cases that have not been accessed for more than 365 days[Read More]
Texas Service Center to Begin Processing Form I-129 for L Visas and Vermont Service Center will no longer process L visa petitions
February 12, 2018, Washington, D.C. The Texas Service Center (TSC) of USCIS will begin processing certain Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker petitions for L nonimmigrant classification, also known as L visas. The TSC will share this workload with the California Service Center to balance workloads and to provide flexibility as USCIS works towards[Read More]
Now the Premium Processing is Available for all types of H-1Bs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed premium processing today for all H-1B visa extension of stay petitions. Premium processing is now available for all types of H-1B petitions. H-1B visas provide skilled workers for a wide range ofspecialty occupations, including information technology, engineering, and mathematics. When a petitioner requests the agency’s[Read More]
DHS announced to wind down Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program
Washington, DC. On September 5, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiated the wind down of the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). On June 29, the attorneys general of Texas and several other states sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions asserting that the DACA program is unlawful for the[Read More]
Notice to DHS Contractors and Subcontractors on Compliance with E-Verify
Washington DC, Jul 19, 2017. DHS article on FedBizOps summarizes E-Verify requirements. The Department of Homeland Security expects employers to abide by the immigration laws of the United States and to employ in the United States only individuals who are eligible to work. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification, requires federal contractors and[Read More]