Stateside Visa Renewal Announced by Department of State
Photo by Artur Tumasjan on Unsplash The State Department (DOS) has recently announced a pilot program of domestic visa renewals for H and L visa holders later this year. Ever since 2004, H and L holders must travel back to their home country, renew their visa at the home country’s U.S. Consulate, and then travel […]
AILA: Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Waivers
Below is a flyer from the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Department of State has been issuing nonimmigrant visa interview waivers to more people due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A company’s nonimmigrant foreign national may be eligible to apply for an interview waiver. However, it all depends on how a particular U.S. Consulate operates. For […]
USCIS Information on Options when Terminating Nonimmigrant Workers
Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash Recently, USCIS released a new webpage outlining the details of what happens after a nonimmigrant gets terminated from their employment, voluntarily or involuntarily. The full webpage can be found here. First and foremost, workers facing termination on an E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, or TN classification have […]
AILA: The Public Charge Rule
The Trump era public charge guidelines may be gone, but there is a new framework in place as of last month. Please read the below flyer from the American Immigration Lawyers Association or AILA on a new public charge inadmissibility test the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began using on December 23, 2022. This public […]
The Top 5 Mistakes Employers Make When Preparing H-1B Petitions
The H-1B season is off and running! Though United States Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) has not specified the dates the online lottery will be open this year, we know it will occur in March. I recommend that all petitions be ready for submission by March 1. Please know USCIS has proposed a rule […]
Employment-Immigration Filing Fees Proposed to Increase
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash USCIS published a proposed rule that outlined a new fee schedule for filing of different petitions. There are significant changes to employment-based petitions in particular. Alongside steep increases in fees, USCIS is also indirectly indicating filing should be done online. One of these changes is the steep increase in […]
Policy Alert: USCIS automatically extending validity of Green Card for Naturalization Applicants
Photo by Kerwin Elias on Unsplash Permanent Resident Cards, known as Green Cards, serve as evidence for Lawful Permanent Resident (LPRs) status for noncitizens. Generally, if there was a mistake, lost card, or the card expired an LPR would file a Form I-90. At least 6 months before a Green Card expires, an LPR can apply for naturalization, […]
USCIS Enhances Security on Redesign of Green Cards and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs)
Since January 30th, 2023, USCIS has been issuing a new design to Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). This change brings many improvements to the security of these two immigration identification cards. Please see the graphic below, sourced from USCIS. It should be noted that the new cards […]