U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

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Premium Processing Resumes: June 2020 Phase-In Dates

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on May 31, 2020

Posted in COVID-19, General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers, Immigrant Visas, Intracompany Transferees (L-1 and Permanent Residence), Investors, Traders and Entrepreneurs (E visas and Permanent Residence), J-1 Waiver, Non-Immigrant Visas (other than Es, Ls and H-1B), Permanent Residence, Startup Companies

On Friday, May 29, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced plans for the phased-in resumption of premium processing for eligible I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker petitions and eligible I-129 Nonimmigrant Worker petitions. (See USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-resumes-premium-processing-certain-petitions.)

USCIS temporarily suspended premium processing availability for all eligible Form I-129 and I-140 petitions…

COVID-19 Update: USCIS to reopen June 4 on limited basis

By Alka Bahal on May 28, 2020

Posted in COVID-19, General Immigration News and Updates

On May 27, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it is preparing some domestic offices to reopen and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4. Routine in-person services at USCIS field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) has been suspended since March 18 to help slow the spread of…

J-1 Waiver Physicians: COVID-19 Reduction in Hours and Telehealth (Limited) Temporary Flexibility

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on May 18, 2020

Posted in COVID-19, General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers, J-1 Waiver

On May 11, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Memorandum relating to certain J-1 waivered foreign medical graduates during the COVID-19 national emergency. The memo, captioned “Temporary Policy Changes for Certain Foreign Medical Graduates During the COVID-19 National Emergency” was issued solely as guidance to USCIS officers with regard…

COVID-19 Immigration Updates: USCIS extends immigration related due dates and temporary flexibility for List B documents for I-9 purposes.

By Alka Bahal on May 5, 2020

Posted in Employment Verification Compliance (including I-9s, E-Verify, and Enforcement), General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers, Investors, Traders and Entrepreneurs (E visas and Permanent Residence), Non-Immigrant Visas (other than Es, Ls and H-1B)

USCIS extends immigration related deadlines:

On March 30, 2020, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced an extension of the flexibility it announced to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to the following types of requests, with deadlines:

Requests for Evidence;
Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
Notices of

…

COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic: USCIS extends field office closure until June 4

By Alka Bahal on April 24, 2020

Posted in General Immigration News and Updates, Permanent Residence

On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). This closure was scheduled through May 3. Today, April 24, 2020, USCIS is announced that it will reopen on or after June 4. Employees

…

USCIS Extends Closure to the Public until May 3, 2020

By Alka Bahal on April 2, 2020

Posted in General Immigration News and Updates, Immigrant Visas, Investors, Traders and Entrepreneurs (E visas and Permanent Residence), Non-Immigrant Visas (other than Es, Ls and H-1B), Permanent Residence

On March 18, USCIS extended the suspension of all routine face-to-face services with applicants at all of its offices through May 3, to protect its workforce and to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our communities. USCIS offices plan to re-open on May 4, unless the public closures are extended further.

This includes…

USCIS Issues FY2021 H-1B Cap Lottery Results

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on March 28, 2020

Posted in H-1B Temporary Workers, Startup Companies

With lightning speed, USCIS closed the FY2021 H-1B Cap Registration Process, conducted the lottery (random selection process), and issued the lottery results.

Since yesterday, March 27, 2020, the agency has been sending email notices prompting attorneys and registrants to check their “myUSCIS” online accounts for results. USCIS has stated that it intends to notify all…

Initial FY2021 H-1B Cap Lottery Registration Closed; Winners to be Notified by March 31, 2020

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on March 23, 2020

Posted in Consular Issues, General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers, Startup Companies

Last Friday, March 20^th at 12:00 noon US Eastern Time, USCIS closed the initial registration period for the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) H-1B cap lottery. In order to be considered in the initial selection process for the H-1B cap lottery, prospective H-1B petitioners had to successfully register their prospective H-1B employees by the Friday…

Health Care Services Related to COVID-19 and USCIS’s Public Charge Rule

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on March 16, 2020

Posted in General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers, Immigrant Visas, Intracompany Transferees (L-1 and Permanent Residence), Investors, Traders and Entrepreneurs (E visas and Permanent Residence), Non-Immigrant Visas (other than Es, Ls and H-1B), PERM Labor Certification, Permanent Residence, Uncategorized

By Catherine V. Wadhwani and Robert S. Whitehill

Without fanfare, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its website with an Alert https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/public-charge relating to its Public Charge requirements in the context of the Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. As concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. increase, USCIS recognized that …

FY2021 H-1B Cap Electronic Registration Now Open

By Catherine V. Wadhwani on March 2, 2020

Posted in General Immigration News and Updates, H-1B Temporary Workers

Ready or not, it’s time to electronically register for the upcoming H-1B Cap Lottery.

The registration period began at 12:00 noon Eastern Time on Sunday, March 1, 2020 and will end at 12:00 noon Eastern Time on Friday, March 20, 2020.

Unlike in past years, this year, USCIS has implemented an electronic registration process as…

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