We close off the week with some new announcements from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding TPS extensions for Haitian nationals, and USCIS commitments to improve immigration in the new year – fiscal year 2023. TPS Extended for Haitian Nationals On December 5, 2022, the Secretary of…
Articles Posted in Employment Authorization Document
USCIS Announces Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) Loses Accreditation: How this Impacts F-1 Students, STEM OPT Extensions, H-1B Master’s Cap, and More…
In this blog post, we bring you some unfortunate news. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will no longer recognize the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency. Sadly, this means that certain F-1 student visa applicants will be impacted by this…
DHS Announces Ethiopia Designation for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months
Happy Halloween! In this blog post, we bring you a brand-new immigration update. On October 21, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months. This decision marks Ethiopia’s first designation for TPS. This designation was…
USCIS Opens New Admissions Process for Venezuelans, Starting Today October 18, 2022
In this blog post, we follow up on our previous reporting relating to a brand-new program launched by the Biden administration that will allow for the admission of up to 24,000 Venezuelans, closely following in the footsteps of the Uniting for Ukraine program. Today, October 18, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship…
Biden administration extends TPS protections for Venezuelan Nationals, Re-Registration Period Opens
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! We hope you had a wonderful weekend. In this blog post, we share with you some exciting news for Venezuelan nationals receiving benefits under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. The Biden administration has made the decision to extend Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan nationals currently receiving protections…
New USCIS Data Reveals Employment Authorization Processing Crisis for Asylum Seekers
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog. We kick off the start of a brand-new week with unfortunate news for asylum-based applicants for I-765 employment authorization. New data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates that the agency has been woefully inadequate at processing work permits, failing to meet the 30-day…
Breaking News: USCIS Announces Automatic Extensions of EADs up to 540 days for certain categories
USCIS is about to make it a lot easier for certain noncitizens to remain employment authorized. On May 3, 2022, the agency announced a new Temporary Final Rule (TPR) that automatically extends the period of employment authorization on Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from 180 days up to 540 total days.…
DHS Issues Federal Notice Updating STEM Designated Degrees for Post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) Eligibility
More immigration news is coming your way. This week important updates have been released for F-1 students seeking post-completion Optional Practical Training in certain STEM-related fields of study. DHS Issues Advance Copy of STEM Designated Degree Program List for post-completion Optional Practical Training If you are an international student studying…
USCIS Policy Manual Updates Automatic Employment Authorization Policy for Dependent Spouses in E, L, Status, and Certain H-4 Visa Dependent Spouses
We are happy to deliver some amazing news for H-4, E, and L dependent spouses! On November 12, 2021, following a settlement agreement known as Shergill v. Mayorkas, the United States Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new Policy Memorandum (Policy Alert PA-2021-25) outlining that the agency will automatically…
This Week in Immigration News: USCIS Continued Flexibility for Responding to RFEs through January 2022, COVID-19 Green Card Vaccination Requirements Starting October 1st, Two Year Extensions of Status for Removal of Conditions Applicants, and Important TPS Extension Announcements
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! In this post, we give you the rundown on the most exciting immigration updates recently announced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). These announcements provide important information for applicants including, extended flexibility policies for responding to Requests for Evidence, new COVID-19 vaccination requirements…