Starting February 26, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will implement increased fees for premium processing of certain employment-based petitions and applications.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that lawful permanent residents now have the option to receive their temporary evidence of status by mail rather than having to physically visit a field office.
Beginning November 30, 2023, Israeli nationals will be able to utilize the Visa Waiver Program to travel to the United States as B-1 (temporary business) or B-2 (tourism) visitors.
On July 12, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security added eight new degree fields to the F-1 STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in hopes of appealing to foreign STEM talent.
Premium processing will be available to applicants filing form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status), when requesting non-immigrant change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status.
After May 11, 2023, a COVID vaccine will no longer be required for non-immigrant international air travel, or non-immigrants crossing into the U.S. through a land border.
USCIS announced that biometric requirements will be suspended through September 30, 2023, for applicants filing Form I-539 for their H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, or E-3 derivative status.
As a response to the ongoing COVID pandemic, USCIS has announced that it will make the COVID-era signature policy permanent. Prior to COVID, all USCIS form signatures required a “wet signature”.
We had previously reported on a Texas U.S. District Court order vacating the detailed guidance on prosecutorial discretion issued in late 2021 by DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
USCIS once again extended the deadline to respond to certain requests such as a Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny through October 23, 2022.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will continue to require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States from Canada or Mexico by land or ferry to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
USCIS announced on March 27 that it is adopting measures to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to requests for evidence (RFE) or notices of intent to deny (NOID).
On January 21, USCIS published updates to its policy guidelines that clarify how O1A cases would be adjudicated, with a focus on applicants in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) fields.
Starting on January 22, 2022, non-U.S. individuals entering the United States from Canada or Mexico by land or ferry will be required to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.
Essential travelers can drive from Canada or Mexico to the U.S. without proof of vaccination until January 2022, then all travelers need to be vaccinated.
Scott Legal, P.C. keeps up to date on the issues related to the practice areas we specialize in. We also regularly publish articles in this blog so that we can share that information with you. Please feel free to contact us and ask us any questions you have about our posts. Also, please feel free to comment in the comment section and/or share the posts with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
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