The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced some important updates for green card applicants, and those renewing existing employment authorization documents also known as EADs. I-485 New Green Card Application Form On December 10, 2024, USCIS published a new edition of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Resident…
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New Changes are Coming to the International Entrepreneur Rule Starting October 1st
Recently the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new changes to the International Entrepreneur Rule effective October 1, 2024. What is the International Entrepreneur Rule The International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), was first established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2017. The program allows noncitizen entrepreneurs to live and work in…
Biden Administration Ramps up Efforts to Expedite Court Proceedings for Asylum Seekers at Southwest Border
The Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department recently announced a new plan to expedite immigration court proceedings for asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the United States without lawful status. On May 16th senior administration officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department made it known…
USCIS to Publish Temporary Final Rule Proposing to Increase the Automatic Extension of EADs up to 540 days to Reduce Workforce Interruptions
We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will soon publish a new temporary final rule in the federal register aimed at streamlining the processing of renewal applications for Employment Authorization Documents (also known as EADs) and increasing the automatic extension period of EADs. What…
Immigration Roundup: New H-1B Cap Season Updates for FY 2025 and Beyond
In this blog post, we share with you some new updates for the H-1B cap season for fiscal year 2025 and beyond. H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period FY 2025 USCIS has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap season will open at noon Eastern time on March 6,…
USCIS Announces Increase in Filing Fees Effective April 1, 2024
On January 30, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule in the Federal Register making significant fee increases for various immigration applications and benefit requests. This fee increase will be the first major adjustment in the filing fees since 2016. The increase is meant to address…
Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Increases Effective June 17, 2023
Certain types of nonimmigrants will be expected to shell out more money for the nonimmigrant visa process. The State Department has announced that starting June 17, 2023, nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application processing fees for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s and BCCs), and other non-petition based nonimmigrant visas such…
Important Announcements for F or M International Students and Increases in Fees Starting May 30, 2023
In this blog post, we alert our readers to a new broadcast message issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) provided updated guidance explaining that Consular officers have the authority to issue F or M student visas for up to…
President Biden Announces Plan to Expand Health Coverage to DACA Recipients
Good news for DACA recipients. The Biden administration recently announced a plan to expand health care coverage to Dreamers through the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace. President Biden has directed the Department of Health and Human Services to propose a rule in the Federal Register that would amend the…
H-2B Visa News: Employers May File for FY 2023 Beginning April 13, 2023
Good news for U.S. employers of H-2B visa workers! Starting April 13, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will begin accepting petitions for H-2B temporary non-agricultural workers for the late second half of fiscal year (FY) 2023, for employment start dates from May 15, 2023, to September 30,…