Category: Blog

Due to USCIS delays in production of certain employment authorization documents, USCIS announced that employees may use Form I-797, Notice of Action to complete I-9 verification with the following caveats:  the notice date on the I-797 must be on…

USCIS announced that it will not furlough approximately 13,400 employees but at the cost of increased USCIS delays.  This year, USCIS processing times have increased substantially, including for work authorization. This decision, by USCIS’ own adm…

Department of State COVID-Related Guidance on Student Visas  On March 9, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) instituted a temporary exemption regarding the online study policy for the 2020 spring a…

Practitioners nationally have reported significant delays in receiving receipt notices form USCIS service centers after properly filing applications. While the canceled check sent with the application may provide evidence of receipt and a possible…

As we already published, USCIS published a Final Rule on August 3 significantly altering certain commonly used immigration applications  Key takeaways from the final rule include (but are not limited to): Adjustment of Status – Family & Employ…

On August 3, 2020, USCIS published a Final Rule altering the USCIS fee schedule by a weighted average increase of 20 percent, including adding a new fee for asylum applications, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and lim…

The Migration Policy Institute recently issued a report on how the anticipated USCIS furlough of more the 70% of its workers, scheduled to commence August 30, 2020, will impact current immigration processing. (See Impending USCIS Furloughs Will Co…

On July 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York enjoined the government from enforcing, applying, implementing, or treating as effective, the USCIS Final Rule on Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds (84 FR 41292…

On July 22, 2020, the Department of State (DOS) issued guidance regarding the application for exemptions to the June 2020 proclamation banning certain non-immigrant visa holders from entering the U.S. The DOS identified the following exemptions by…

Current through July 27, 2020. While we will try to update this advisory as these policies develop, please do not rely on this information without consulting with immigration counsel. Citing the economic impact of COVID-19 and the need to limit fo…