News

DOS final rule amending the B visa regulations to establish a rebuttable presumption that a B nonimmigrant visa applicant who a consular officer has reason to believe will give birth during her stay in the United States is traveling for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for the child. The rule requires consular officers […]

The Department of State posted >>Visa Bulletin For February 2020<< This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during February for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center. For Family-Sponsored Filings: In the F2A category, there […]

USCIS announced that due to the termination of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Iran, Iranian nationals are no longer eligible for E-1 and E-2 visa changes or extensions of status. USCIS will send NOIDs to applicants who filed applications after October 3, 2018. The E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visa […]

  The expanded regulation would reportedly make it more difficult for low-income migrants to secure permanent residency or temporary visas. More than 100 US companies, including a handful of tech heavyweights, are urging a federal court to reject the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, which would reportedly make it easier for the government to reject green […]

On January 1, California became the first state in the country to extend Medicaid benefits to all low-income adults, regardless of their immigration status. Over 100,000 additional Californians are eligible for health coverage under the new law, the latest piece of legislation in the state’s ongoing push for universal health coverage.   Source: KALW

DHS Final Rule: On October 11, 2019, several courts enjoined and restrained DHS and USCIS from “enforcing, applying, or treating as effective” the DHS Public Charge Final Rule. In addition, courts specifically enjoined the government from implementing the use of any new or updated forms whose submission would be required under the Final Rule, including […]

It was announced on USCIS’s website that Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Yemen for 18 months through September 3, 2021.   Source: AILA Doc. No. 20010739.

USCIS began accepting applications to adjust status to lawful permanent resident from certain Liberian nationals under Section 7611 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF). USCIS will accept properly filed applications until 12/20/20. The following grounds of inadmissibility do not apply to applicants under the LRIF: Public Charge (INA […]

USCIS announced that it is implementing the registration process in the FY2021 H-1B lottery. Employers seeking to file FY2021 H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must first electronically register and pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee. Under this new process, employers seeking H-1B workers subject to the cap, or […]

DOS posted the December 2019 visa bulletin.   Source: The Visa Bulletin – Travel.gov