U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is implementing the next phase of the premium processing expansion for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, under the EB-1 and EB-2 classifications. Similar to the first phase and second phase of the expansion, this phase only applies to certain previously filed Form I-140 petitions under an E13 …
USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2023
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap on H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2023. Sept. 12, 2022 was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2023. USCIS …
Continue reading USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2023
USCIS Resumes Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program Operations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is resuming operations under the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program beginning with pending CFRP program applications. In September, USCIS will begin mailing program information notices to petitioners with pending CFRP program applications. Petitioners should review the information carefully for updates and other information about next steps. USCIS also has begun mailing interview notices to CFRP program petitioners with instructions for the beneficiary interview. On Aug. 18, …
Continue reading USCIS Resumes Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program Operations
Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians
On Sept. 2, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security posted for public inspection a Federal Register notice extending and expanding eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians for 24 months. On June 27, 2022, President Biden issued a Memorandum on Extending and Expanding Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians to the secretaries of state and homeland security …
Eligible Liberians may apply for EADs through June 30, 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today published a Federal Register notice for the extension and expansion of eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians and explaining how eligible Liberians may apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). On June 27, President Biden issued a memorandum extending and expanding DED for Liberians for 24 months. Eligible Liberian nationals covered …
Continue reading Eligible Liberians may apply for EADs through June 30, 2024
Justice Department Secures Settlement With Texas Harvesting Company to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim
The Department of Justice today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with A. Olivarez Harvesting LLC (Olivarez). The settlement resolves a claim that Olivarez discriminated against two U.S. citizens based on their citizenship status when it denied them crop harvesting positions it had promised them and instead filled the jobs with temporary visa …
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Final Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) final rule, which has been posted for public inspection on the Federal Register’s website. The final rule generally codifies existing policies with limited amendments to preserve and fortify DACA. BackgroundOn Sept. 28, 2021, DHS published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for DACA. …
Continue reading Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Final Rule
USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2023 H-1B Cap
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2023.We have completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts. The status for registrations properly submitted for the …
USCIS Will No Longer Accept Combined Fee Payments For EB-5, Immigrant Investor Program Applications or Petitions
Beginning Thursday, September 1, 2022 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will no longer accept a single, combined fee payment when an applicant or petitioner files Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Standalone Investor, or Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor, together with Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form 131, Application for Travel Document, or Form …
Extension and Redesignation of Syria for TPS
The Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from Oct. 1, 2022, through March 31, 2024. The extension of TPS for Syria allows approximately 6,448 current beneficiaries to re-register to retain TPS if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements. It is estimated …
Continue reading Extension and Redesignation of Syria for TPS
Ann Massey Badmus 