The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) unit, which is responsible for immigration enforcement along U.S. borders, has indicated it will expand the use of facial recognition technology to record departure information from international travelers. The technology is being implemented gradually at airports nationwide.
Read MoreThe TN visa program has survived the recent trade talks between the United States, Canada and Mexico despite the Trump administration’s earlier calls for limiting it. The TN visa allows certain Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in the United States. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) was announced publicly by the White House on October 1, 2018.
Read MoreThe Department of State (DOS) has issued its November 2018 Visa Bulletin. Overall, there was very little movement in most categories this month. EB-1 for Chinese and Indian nationals had no movement. EB-2 worldwide is current (except for China and lndia). EB-2 for Chinese nationals advanced by one and a half months, but there was no movement for EB-2 Indian nationals. EB-3 is current (except for China, India, and the Philippines). EB-3 for Chinese and Indian nationals had no movement, but Philippine nationals moved forward by one week.
Read MoreStarting October 1, 2018, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) may begin removal (also referred to as “deportation”) proceedings after denying an application for a benefit, such as an application for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident (Form I-485), naturalization (Form N-400), or change or extension of status (Form I-539). This new policy stems from President Trump’s Executive Order 13768, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.”
Read MoreThe Department of State just announced that the online registration for the annual Green Card lottery, formally referred to as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program 2020 (DV 2020), will begin at 12 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT–4), Wednesday, October 3, 2018, and end at 12 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT–5), Tuesday, November 6, 2018. We recommend registering as soon as possible because the DOS website slows down or freezes due to very heavy traffic towards the end of the registration period.
Read MoreThe Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin can be difficult to understand. All those dates and charts and categories are confusing. But knowing how to read the Visa Bulletin is important if you are seeking permanent residence in the United States so you can understand how long you will have to wait before you finally have your green card. The following explanation is specifically for individuals going through the permanent residence process based on employment.
Read MoreUSCIS held a call last week on September 6, 2018, to publicly explain its updated policy on when it could deny petitions or applications without first issuing a Request for Evidence (“RFE”) or Notice of Intent to Deny (“NOIDs”). The new policy took effect this week on September 11, 2018, and will apply to applications and petitions received by USCIS on or after September 12, 2018.
Read MoreThe Department of State (DOS) has released its October 2018 Visa Bulletin. October 1 marks the start of the new fiscal year so all the immigrant visa categories benefit from new visa numbers. As a result, all categories will experience significant advancements, some as many as four to six years.
Read MoreUSCIS announced today that it will temporarily suspend premium processing for most H-1B petitions filed at the Vermont and California Service Centers beginning September 11, 2018. USCIS expects that the suspension will last until February 19, 2019.
Read MoreUSCIS has clarified that STEM OPT extensions are available to international students who will work at a site other than the employer’s principal place of business. USCIS updated its website on Friday, August 17, with this clarification.
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