We start off the week with some exciting news for naturalization applicants filing N-400, Application for Naturalization. On December 9, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new updates to its policy guidance including a new procedure that will allow USCIS to automatically extend the validity of a…
Articles Posted in Policies
AILA Roundtable with State Department Representatives: Applying for Visas as Third Country Nationals, Interview Waivers, PPP E-2 Recipients, Expedites for Afghan Nationals, and More!
We kick off the Thanksgiving week with some exciting news. Recently, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) met with representatives from the Department of State to address some issues of concern relating to several different immigration topics. We provide a summary of the questions asked and responses from the Department…
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…
Biden Administration Launches New Entry Program for Venezuelan Nationals, Mirroring Uniting for Ukraine
The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to secure the Southwest border to curb illegal immigration stemming from the humanitarian and economic crisis in Venezuela. In a press release issued October 12, 2022, the Biden administration announced that effective immediately, Venezuelans who enter the United States between ports of entry,…
USCIS Extends its Temporary Waiver of the 60-Day Rule for Civil Surgeon Signatures on Form I-693 Green Card Medical Exams
Happy Columbus Day! We start the week with great news for green card applications. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it is extending a policy that previously waived the requirement for civil surgeons to sign the Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no…
All About the COVID-19 Vaccine Waiver and Success Story: Vaccine Waiver Based on Religious Belief or Moral Conviction
Have you ever wondered: is there an exception to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement mandated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for those undergoing the green card process? In this blog post, we share with you how our office was able to obtain successful waivers of the COVID-19 vaccine…
Asylum Seekers Skyrocket at San Diego and El Paso Ports of Entry
Welcome to the start of a brand-new week. In this blog, we cover new reports from the U.S./Mexico border addressing the growing number of asylum seekers entering the United States from Tijuana into San Diego, through a process known as “humanitarian parole.” According to a recent report published by the…
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…
Biden administration to launch Afghan family reunification portal
This week in immigration news, we share new developments for Afghan nationals. The Biden administration recently announced its plan to launch a new portal that would facilitate the reunification of Afghans immigrants with their family members. What is it all about? The U.S. Department of State run portal would provide…
What’s New in Immigration: Uniting for Ukraine: USCIS Extends Completion of Medical Screening & Attestation Within 90 Days of Arrival to the United States, EB-5 Updates
In this blog post, we share with you new developments related to immigration law. Uniting for Ukraine: USCIS Extends Completion of Medical Screening & Attestation Within 90 Days of Arrival to the United States Effective immediately, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will extend…