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Documents Reveal USCIS Policies to Restrict Visas

September 23, 2019 (1 min read)

Stuart Anderson, Forbes, Sept. 19, 2019

"New government documents reveal the increase in denials and Requests for Evidence for H-1B petitions are part of an effort by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to achieve desired results – fewer high-skilled foreign nationals working in America. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) made the documents public after settling a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

“Denial rates for H-1B petitions have increased significantly, rising from 6% in FY 2015 to 32% in the first quarter of FY 2019,” according to a National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis. The Request for Evidence (RFE) rate on H-1B petitions reached 60% in the first quarter of FY 2019.

The USCIS documents, which previously were hidden from the public, help explain how USCIS policies have increased H-1B denials and Requests for Evidence. The USCIS document titled “H-1B RFE Standards” is dated March 23, 2017, while “H-1B AC21 Denial Standards” is dated July 17, 2017, evidence the documents reflect the Trump administration’s new immigration policies."