Visa Lawyer Blog
In this post we bring you your daily dose of immigration updates. For more information on the immigration services we provide please visit our website. For a free first legal consultation please contact our office. It is our pleasure to accompany you on your immigration journey.
USCIS extends TPS Designation for Nepal for 18 months
The Secretary of Homeland Security recently announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Nepal will be extended for an additional 18 months, beginning December 25, 2016 through June 24, 2018. Eligible TPS applicants must either be foreign nationals of Nepal or habitually resided in Nepal. DHS will be extending current TPS Nepal Employment Authorization Cards (EADs) with a December 24, 2016 expiration date for an additional 6 months, valid through June 24, 2017.
For more information regarding TPS for Nepal please click here. For information about the TPS program please click here. Employers interested in verifying or reverifying the employment eligibility of employees who are TPS beneficiaries, may click here for more information.
EADs Extended 6 Months for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone TPS Beneficiaries
Current Beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for the designations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have had their TPS status extended for a period of 6 months, to expire on May 21, 2017. The Department of Homeland Security authorized this temporary extension to allow beneficiaries to make an orderly transition out of the United States, before termination of their TPS status on May 21, 2017. Current beneficiaries of the TPS program from these designations will automatically retain their TPS status until this date, and the validity of their current Employment Authorization Cards (EADs) will be extended through May 20, 2017.
Click here for more information about the 6-month extension of orderly transition before termination of TPS designations for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. For general information about the TPS program please click here.
Employers: Current Form I-9 valid until January 21, 2017
Employers may continue to use the current version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (E-verify) with revision date 03/08/2013 N until January 21, 2017. After this date, employers must use a new revised Form I-9 that will be published by USCIS on November 22, 2016. Why the new form? On August 25, 2016 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved a new revised Form I-9, that is currently being finalized by USCIS.
For more information about E-verify please click here.
Filing Fees for Certain Immigration Petitions to Increase Beginning December 23, 2016
Filing Fees for certain immigration petitions will increase beginning December 23, 2016. To avoid an increase in filing fees you must file your petition before this date.
The immigration petitions that will be most affected by this increase include:
- Form I-924, Application for Regional Center under the Immigrant Investor Pilot Program (EB-5), increasing to a filing fee of $17,795;
- The filing fee for the I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur will increase to $3,675;
- For Naturalization applicants: The N-400 will now include a standard fee of $640 up from $595, a reduced fee of $320 for applicants with a household income greater than 150% but less than 200%, and no filing fee for members of the military;
- Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker filing fee will increase to $700;
- Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status filing fee will increase to $1,140;
- Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative filing fee will increase to $535;
- Form I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé filing fee will increase to $535;
- I-751 Petition for Removal of Conditions on Permanent Residence filing fee will increase to $595;
- Form I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card filing fee will increase to $455;
- Form I-212 Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the U.S. after Deportation or Removal filing fee will increase to $930;
The Biometrics and Premium Processing Fees remain unchanged.
For more information on these increases please click here.
2018 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Entry Period Closes on November 7, 2016
This is a reminder that the entry period for the 2018 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2018) will close at noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 7, 2016. Entries for the 2018 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program must be submitted electronically on the Department of State website for the DV-2018 fiscal year.
Participants in the Diversity Immigration Visa Program will have a chance to win one of 50,000 available visas to immigrate to the United States. Winning entries will be selected at random via a computer-generated drawing. Only foreign nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States may apply for the program.
For the list of eligible countries for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, and the requirements to enter the program please click here.