Can Biometrics be Completed at a USCIS Office Outside of US?
Many USCIS applications (normally those which result in the production of a "secure document") require the applicant provide digital biometrics at a USCIS office. In most cases, the biometrics process includes digital fingerprinting and a digital photo. Many applicants who need to submit to the required biometrics are able to do so in the closest USCIS application support center ("ASC") in [...]
January 2017 Visa Bulletin – Slow Forward Movement
The U.S. State Department has just released the January 2017 Visa Bulletin which is the fourth Visa Bulletin for the new FY2017 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the anemic forward movement across many categories, including the slowing movement in EB-2 India and China. EB-3 China continues to have a more favorable cutoff date than EB-2 China which creates favorable [...]
I-140 EAD/Job Portability Final Rule Released – Analysis and Overview of the Upcoming Changes and System Fixes
The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has just released the final text (also copy of Federal Register version) of the rule seeking to improve certain aspects of the employment-based immigration system. The new rule seeks to implement certain changes to the non-immigrant and immigrant visas in order to better allow US employers to retain foreign workers. The final rule also provides [...]
USCIS Revises Form I-9 – Effective January 22, 2017
On November 14, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification which is available to use starting immediately. Starting Jan. 22, 2017, employers must use only the new version, dated 11/14/2016 N. Until then, they can continue to use the version dated 03/08/2013 N or the new version. Among the changes in [...]
President-elect Trump and Immigration: Initial Thoughts
During the election campaign, President-elect Trump put immigration at the center of his agenda and platform and made a commitment to the voters to take immediate steps relating to immigration upon taking office on January 20, 2017. There are certain immigration-related steps that can be done immediately upon taking office, by executive action, and there are certain steps which [...]
December 2016 Visa Bulletin – Forward Movement Slowing Down; EB-3 China Still Ahead of EB-2 China
The U.S. State Department has just released the December 2016 Visa Bulletin which is the third Visa Bulletin for the new FY2017 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the anemic forward movement across many categories, including the slowing movement in EB-2 India and China. EB-3 China continues to have a more favorable cutoff date than EB-2 China which creates [...]