Like almost all aspects of life during COVID, USCIS operations have been impacted significantly and we have been seeing extreme delays especially with respect to ASC biometrics processing and, by extension, cases which require biometrics to be completed before adjudication. After a November 19, 2020 update in which USCIS has indicated that the ASC biometrics [...]
In a December 1, 2020 opinion (PDF copy), a U.S. Judge in Northern California has blocked the implementation of both the DOL and DHS/USCIS Interim Final Rules (IFR) which were introduced in October seeking to substantially increase the [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the December 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the third Visa Bulletin for the FY2021 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the slowing rate of forward movement in most [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the November 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the second Visa Bulletin for the FY2021 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa [...]
The Department of Homeland Security has substantially increased the I-907 premium processing service filing fee from $1,440 to $2,500 starting October 19, 2020. Under the optional premium processing service USCIS is required to provide a response within 15 calendar [...]
In a coordinated effort, both DHS/USCIS and DOL have just released two new rules which seek to introduce substantial changes to the H-1B program. DOL seeks to increase the prevailing wage levels by a substantial margin with immediate effective date of October 8, 2020. DHS/USCIS seeks to change the definition of specialty occupation and employer-employee [...]
On September 29, 2020, a district court blocked the effective date of the August 2020 Final Rule, which sought to increase the fees (significantly in many cases) for many immigration services in addition to requiring revised forms. See ruling. As a result, the current fee schedule and the current version of the relevant forms continue [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the October 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the FY2021 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the major forward movement [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the September 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the last Visa Bulletin for the FY2020 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of much movement [...]
USCIS has just made an announcement to its staff and external stakeholders that the administrative staff furlough which was scheduled to begin on August 30, 2020 has been cancelled and the current USCIS staffing levels would remain unchanged. Cost Cutting Measures Means Fewer Contractors and Processing Delays According to USCIS's Deputy Director of Policy, the [...]
