May 05, 2022
WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced changes to simplify and improve how the agency communicates case processing time data to the public. As part of an agency-wide commitment to improve transparency, efficiency, and customer service, the changes also make it easier for individuals to get an immediate answer on when they can […]
September 29, 2021
In recent years, support for a pathway to legal status for undocumented people has become increasingly popular, especially because many are essential workers and have community ties such as spouses and children. FWD.us polling has shown that the majority of the U.S. public favor creating a pathway to legalization, ensuring the stability that undocumented families […]
September 03, 2021
Starting Sept. 4, 2021, USCIS is extending the time that receipt notices can be used to show evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. We are making the change […]
August 19, 2021
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reached a settlement agreement in the case of Vangala et al. v. USCIS et al., No. 4:20-cv-08143(N.D. Cal.). The agreement allows certain individuals to receive updated receipt dates for resubmitted immigration benefit applications or petitions originally rejected under the former “No Blank Space” rejection policy. Under this former policy, USCIS rejected filings […]
July 01, 2021
International entrepreneurs and U.S. investors might be interested to know that the Biden administration recently revived the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), which was first introduced under the Obama Administration and was suspended under Trump’s administration. According to the federal government, the IER could benefit America’s economy while simultaneously encouraging quality entities to start viable businesses […]
June 19, 2021
World Refugee Day falls on Sunday, June 20th, and marks an opportunity to celebrate refugees while also continuing advocacy for them. Refugees flee from persecution based on race, religion, nationality, and membership to a social group or political party. They are one of the most vulnerable populations in the world as they cannot trust their […]
March 12, 2021
During the Trump administration, many H-1B applications, including renewals of H-1B employment, were denied due to three policies which federal courts have found to violate the law. The policies were embodied in several USCIS memoranda: “Determining Employer-Employee Relationship for adjudication of H-1B petitions, including Third-Party Site Placements (Reference AFM Chapter 31.3.(g)(16)) issued January 8, 2010 […]
March 04, 2021
On January 25, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order (“Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers”), which effectively revoked Trump’s Buy American and Hire American Executive Order (“BAHA”). The revocation of BAHA may represent a shift in employment-based immigration policy in particular. The BAHA order led to many restrictive immigration policies […]
February 14, 2021
Alejandro Mayorkas has become the first Latino and immigrant to lead the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The DHS is one of the largest government departments and administers the majority of immigration rules and regulations through agencies such as United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement […]
January 22, 2021
Although originally touted as a 90-day restriction on immigration, the Trump travel ban has kept apart thousands of immigrant families from 13 countries for nearly four long years. Now that the Biden administration has reversed much of this ban, the State Department will develop plans to reconsider thousands of visa denials that were issued under […]
