Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt, MPI, Feb. 23, 2022 "The Biden administration is seeking to overhaul the U.S. immigration system, expanding protections to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and embarking on a plan to restructure the asylum process... Read More
USCIS Issues Policy Memo on International Filings On November 30, 2012, USCIS issued a final policy memorandum outlining the circumstances in which applicants may file Form I-601 (Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility) and any associated... Read More
EOIR Appoints New Immigration Judges and Assistant Chief Immigration Judges | In November, the Executive Office for Immigration Review announced the appointment of two new immigration judges and six new assistant chief immigration judges. Jonathan... Read More
EOIR Issues New Guidance Following Settlement of Asylum Clock Suit | On December 2, 2013, the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge issued two memoranda concerning implementation of the employment authorization “clock” for asylum applicants... Read More
USCIS Transitions to Centralized Policy Manual On January 7, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services launched its transition to an online policy manual that will ultimately replace the Adjudicator's Field Manual (AFM). According to USCIS Director... Read More
H-1B FY 2017 Cap Season Begins April 1 | USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2017 cap on April 1, 2016. The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2017 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed... Read More
California Housing and Employment Department Issues New Guidelines on U Visas | On September 10, 2014, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing issued a directive expanding the grounds for which it will provide certifications to noncitizens... Read More
EOIR Releases Information Regarding Mandatory Attorney Registration On April 11, the Executive Office for Immigration Review released instructions and a series of frequently asked questions regarding its new mandatory electronic registry for attorneys... Read More
H-2B Applications and Prevailing Wage Requests Continue Through May 15; USCIS Resumes Premium Processing | On April 15, 2015, the federal district court for the Northern District of Florida issued a further order in Perez v. Perez, No 3:14-cv-682 ... Read More
EB-4 Visa Limit Reached for Special Immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras A final action date of January 1, 2010 has been set for special immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and is reflected in the State Department’s... Read More
2014 DV Program Opens The 2014 Diversity Visa Program registration opened at noon on October 2, 2012, and is scheduled to close at noon on Saturday, November 3, 2012. As in past years, applicants must submit entries electronically during this registration... Read More
Executive Action Coverage | On November 20, 2014, the President announced a series of executive actions that will help secure the border, prioritize deporting felons over families, and allow certain undocumented immigrants to temporarily remain in... Read More
Payment of USCIS Immigrant Visa Fee via USCIS ELIS USCIS has moved the online payment of the USCIS Immigrant Fee to its Electronic Immigration System ( USCIS ELIS ). Customers must now pay the $165 fee using USCIS ELIS after they receive their immigrant... Read More
H1-B Filings: USCIS Anticipates Use of Lottery; Temporary Modification of Premium Processing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on March 15, 2013, that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2014 cap on Monday, April... Read More
Supreme Court Decides CSPA Case | On June 9, 2014, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Scialabba v. Cuellar de Osorio , 2014 U.S. LEXIS 3991 [ enhanced opinion available to lexis.com subscribers ]. The Court held that the BIA’s textually... Read More