May 2020 Visa Bulletin – EB-1 ROW Current; Possible Acceleration of Forward Movement Over Next Several Months
The U.S. State Department has just released the May 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the FY2020 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the fact that EB-1 ROW is back to “Current” and the cautious signs of increased pace of forward movement in some other categories. […]
USCIS Closes Offices and Other Public-Facing Services Until At Least June 4th (Updated: Was May 3rd)
USCIS has just announced that in an effort to protect its workforce and the public amidst the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, they are suspending all routine face-to-face services with applicants at all offices, including all interviews and naturalization ceremonies. April 24, 2020 Update: USCIS has extended the closure to be at least until June 4th, until further extended. April 1, 2020 Update: [...]
President Trump Seeks to Bar Certain Immigrants from Entering U.S. for 60 Days
In a late night tweet, on April 20th, President Trump indicated that he would suspend immigration into the United States during the coronavirus outbreak. The actual executive order has just been signed and released and it indicates that starting 11:59 pm eastern time on April 23, 2020 certain immigrants will be banned from entering the U.S. for a period of [...]
USCIS Delays H-1B Cap Intake and Receipting; Significant Impact on F-1 Cap Gap Cases
USCIS has announced that H-1B cap petitions will experience a significant delay in the case intake and the issuance of receipt notices as a result of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak. USCIS have announced that they will not begin processing any filed H-1B cap petitions until at least May 1 although they will continue to accept filings. Data Entry and Receipt Issuance [...]
Public Charge: Are Unemployment Benefits Permitted?
UPDATE: A new revised Final Rule is in effect starting December 23, 2022. Please review this updated content. In light of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting millions of workers (at least temporarily) losing their job, our office has been flooded with calls and emails about whether claiming unemployment insurance will give rise to inadmissibility under the Public Charge rule. [...]
Extending Visa Waiver Program Period of Stay Using Satisfactory Departure
As a result of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 travel disruptions and border closures, many Visa Waiver Country nationals are in the United States within an ability to depart the U.S. before their 90-day authorized period of stay (I-94) expires. There are limited (but expanding) options for getting relief for Visa Waiver Country nationals stuck in the U.S. About the Visa Waiver Program [...]