The moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived. Yesterday, March 6, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing services for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions who have a pending Form…
The H-1B registration period is now in full swing. Employers will have the opportunity to complete the electronic registration process from now until noon Eastern Time on March 17, 2023. The question on everyone’s minds is whether the massive tech layoffs in Silicon Valley will decrease demand for H-1B visa…
In this blog post, we give you an update on the status of the proposed rule increasing the filing fees for certain applications and petitions filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As you may remember, on January 4, 2023, USCIS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking…
In this blog post, we share with you new information provided by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Department of State Liaison Committee following a meeting with the National Visa Center (NVC) addressing some common issues of concern for immigrant visa applicants waiting for their visas to be processed at…
The U.S. Department of State has released its March 2023 Visa Bulletin. To help you prepare for your upcoming immigrant visa or green card filing, we share what you can expect to see in the employment based and family preference categories for the month of March. What is the Visa…
In this blog post, we provide an immigration roundup regarding the latest immigration news. USCIS Recommends AOS applicants submit all evidence with Form I-485, including Medical Examination Those who are applying for adjustment of status should be aware that USCIS has recommended green card applicants submit all required initial evidence…
In this blog post we share very exciting news for H-1B and L visa holders working in the United States. The State Department is planning to resume the process of domestic visa revalidation in certain categories, like H-1B and L-1 visas, through the launch of a new pilot program that…
USCIS Updates Policy Manual Clarifying Physical Presence Requirement for Asylees and Refugees The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its Policy Manual to clarify that BOTH asylees and refugees must have been physically present in the United States for one year at the time the Immigration Officer adjudicates…
The Green Card and Employment Authorization Document just got a brand-new look. In this post, we bring you the lowdown on what you can expect. USCIS recently announced that the agency will be issuing newly redesigned Permanent Resident Cards (also known as green cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) starting…
In this post, we bring you great news regarding COVID-19-related flexibilities for responses to Requests for Evidence, NOIDs, and such related notices issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. What do I need to know about this new update? USCIS RFE/NOID Flexibility Continued for Responses to Agency Requests USCIS announced that it…
