In the nick of time, on December 21, 2023, the Department of State announced that it will continue its interview waiver policy for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. The agency’s interview waiver policy was previously set to expire on December 31, 2023. However, its implementation will continue starting on January 1,…
Articles Posted in Policy
New USCIS Policy Guidance Provides Relief for Certain Applicants Filing I-751 Removal of Conditions
If you are a family-based conditional permanent resident who was issued a two-year green card based on your marriage to a U.S. Citizen, then you may be interested to know that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its policy guidance for Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions…
U.S. Government Designates Israel into the Visa Waiver Program Effective November 30, 2023
The long-awaited news is finally here. The Department of State has announced the designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) effective November 30, 2023. Beginning on that date, citizens and nationals of Israel will be able to apply to travel to the United States for tourism or business…
USCIS Updates Policy Manual Increasing Validity Period of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to Five Years
It’s official. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that it will be increasing the validity period of work permits also known as Employment Authorization Documents (EADS) to 5 years, for certain categories of noncitizens who are employment authorized incident to their immigration status and those who must…
USCIS Will No Longer Require Biometric Services Fee for all Form I-539 Applicants Starting October 1st
We kick off the week with a brand-new update from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for those applying to extend or change their nonimmigrant status using Form I-539. The agency has announced that it will be exempting all I-539 applicants from paying the biometrics service fee of $85…
Federal Judge Declares DACA Illegal, While Allowing Existing DACA Recipients to Renew Benefits
Source: Flickr: Molly Adams, LA March for Immigrant Rights In a stunning turn of events, a federal judge on Wednesday declared the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program illegal in a new court ruling. The decision comes after a five-year long court battle which has left the future of…
Asylum News: USCIS To Require Interpreters for Affirmative Asylum Applicant Interviews starting September 13th
“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 United Airlines Captain Jason Dahl In remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001 In this post, we would like to share with our readers…
DHS Extends and Redesignates Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months through April 19, 2025
In this post, we share with you some great news for Ukrainian nationals under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has made the decision to extend Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainian nationals currently receiving protections under the program for 18 months from October 20, 2023 through…
DHS Announces Modernization of Cuban and Haitian Family Reunification Parole
We start the week with great news for Cuban and Haitian nationals. On August 10, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced new publications in the Federal Register introducing changes to the Cuban and Haitian Family Reunification Parole processes. The FRP program allows eligible Cuban and Haitian nationals to seek…
New Updates for L-1 Nonimmigrant Blanket Visa Applicants
Did you recently file an L-1 petition as an Intracompany Transferee under a previously approved blanket petition? Then you may want to hear about this important new update. On Thursday August 3, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new changes to the way that the agency will…