USCIS announced today that H-1B cap-subject petitions for fiscal year 2021 can now be filed. USCIS has already notified all selected applications of their selection status on or before March…
USCIS has announced that they will reuse previously submitted biometrics in order to process valid work permit application extension requests due to the closure of Application Support Centers (ASC). Biometrics…
For many immigration petitions and forms (Eg. I-129, G-28, I-140), USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) normally only accepts “wet” signatures. As both lawyers and applicants have to sign many…
USCIS has announced today 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) dated…
If your child is a U.S. citizen and is 21 or older, he/she can sponsor you for a green card under the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen category. If…
DHS has extended the public comment period for the proposed fee changes to December 30. This extension gives stakeholders more time to weigh in on the recent proposal that would…
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a fee schedule that would increase the filing fees for most applications. The proposal also seeks to increase the premium processing timeline to…
For the third year in a row, the United States will slash the number of refugees it will accept. In the next fiscal year, up to 18,000 refugees will be…
Starting from noon EST on October 2, 2019, the State Department will begin accepting online registration for Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa lottery here. Foreign nationals who qualify for the lottery…
The U.S. Consulate in Toronto has changed its procedure for renewals of E-2 visas. If the applicant did not receive their initial visa in Toronto, the applicant can no longer…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) petition and application fees will increase on June 24, 2019. Foreign nationals who enter the…
When you apply for a visa (For example, E-2, B-1, H1-B, O-1) at a Consulate, there are several possible outcomes. The visa can be approved, denied (refused), or the application…
Foreign nationals applying for a green card or another immigration benefit often seek help from their Members of Congress (MOCs) in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives when USCIS,…
Foreign nationals who are preparing to file an application for an immigration benefit with USCIS, or those who have already filed an application and are waiting for a decision, may…
For some U.S. citizens, the wait after submitting an immigration applicant can be decades long, add another few years of holding permanent residence status before becoming eligible to apply for…
Scott Legal, P.C. just had the first step of the green card process (PERM Application) certified by U.S. Department of Labor for one of our E-2 clients. The PERM was…
What are the requirements to apply? There are several requirements that green card holders must meet in order to apply to become U.S. citizens. This process is called naturalization. Generally,…
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is creating a new internal division to more rigorously police its own caseworkers. The division, called the Organization of Professional Responsibility (OPR),…
Recent Trends In Adjudication of H-1B Petitions Reveal Increased Scrutiny by USCIS Many studious readers of Scott Legal’s blog are familiar with the recent changes to the U.S. Immigration system…
On October 23, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will revise its policy regarding prior determinations for nonimmigrant petitions. According to its policy memorandum,…