The Biden Administration has proposed raising application fees for employment-based visas and other immigration programs. As a result of the proposed rule, employers would be required to pay significantly higher fees for petitioning for and sponsoring workers for permanent residence. The new fee schedule proposes a significant increase in fees for using the electronic registration… [Read More]
Client Advisory: October Visa Bulletin Announces Considerable Retrogression for EB-2 India
The State Department released its October Visa Bulletin revealing a significant retrogression in certain employment-based immigrant visa (green card) categories. The EB-2 Category for India was the most impacted. On September 6th 2022, USCIS reported that the visa cap had been reached for EB-1 and EB-2 visas for applicants in countries of chargeability. With the release of… [Read More]
Client Advisory: H-1B cap for fiscal year 2023 has been reached
USCIS announced Tuesday that they have received enough petitions to satisfy the congressionally mandated H-1B visa regular cap of 65,000 and the master’s cap of 20,000 for fiscal year 2023. There will be no further opportunities for cap-subject institutions to apply for new H-1B visas in FY 2023 but those that were not selected may… [Read More]
Client Advisory: USCIS Updates Form I-693: Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
USCIS recently announced updates made to form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. Beginning October 5, 2022 USCIS will only accept Form I-693 edition 7/19/2022. The last day USCIS will accept the earlier edition of Form I-693 will be October 4, 2022. This date is based on when the Civil Surgeon signs the… [Read More]
Client Advisory: USCIS Announces Phase Two of Premium Processing Upgrade Expansion
On July 15th, 2022, USCIS announced that they will begin implementing phase two of the premium processing upgrade expansion plan for certain pending EB-1 and EB-2 I-140 Petitions. Beginning August 1st, 2022, USCIS will accept premium processing upgrades for the following categories: E21 National Interest Waiver Petitions received on or before July 1st, 2021 E13 Multinational… [Read More]
Client Advisory: Premium Processing Upgrades Expanded for Certain Pending EB-1 and EB-2 I-140 Petitions
On May 24th, 2022, USCIS announced that they have further expanded premium processing for certain pending EB-1 and EB-2 I-140 petitions. The included categories and implementation dates are as follows: June 1st, 2022 E13 Multinational Executive and Manager Petitions received before January 1, 2021 July 1st, 2022 E21 National Interest Waiver Petitions received on or… [Read More]
Client Advisory: USCIS Announces Temporary Final Rule Extending the Automatic Extension Period of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for Certain Applicants
On May 4th, 2022, USCIS announced a new rule from DHS temporarily increasing the automatic extension period for EAD eligible renewal applicants. The automatic extension period begins the date of expiration on the EAD (Employment Authorization Document) for a new total of 540 days. The previous rule provided 180 days from the expiration of EAD;… [Read More]
Client Advisory: Possible Future Availability of Expedited Premium Processing for Certain Applications
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that they have issued a final rule to expand premium processing for the following forms: I-140, I-539, I-765. While premium processing does exist for some of these categories now, this new rule will include additional case types and categories. What Does This Mean? Nothing, yet…. [Read More]
USCIS Encourages Transfer of Underlying Basis for Some Pending I-485 Applications
The USCIS recently announced that there are more visas available in the EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based categories than the number of pending I-485 applications in these categories. USCIS is encouraging certain applicants to request that the agency “transfer the underlying basis” of their pending I-485 application to the EB-2 category, if eligible. This transfer request… [Read More]
CLIENT ALERT: Employment Authorization Settlement
On November 10, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security reached a settlement agreement that impacts employment authorization for individuals in H-4 or L-2 status. H-4 BENEFICIARIES: Employment Authorization and Those in H-4 Status The settlement agreement applies to an H-4 dependent spouse who: Properly filed an EAD renewal application before the expiration of their current… [Read More]
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