USCIS Increases Application Fees Starting October 2, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday, July 31 that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase its fees by an average of 20% starting on October 2, 2020. USCIS cites the fact that it is 97% fee funded and…
UPDATE on Potential USCIS Layoffs
USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) was originally planning to furlough 13,000 of its workers if no Congressional action was taken before August 3, but has now pushed the start of the furlough to August 31. Although USCIS had financial troubles prior…
National Interest Exceptions to Immigration Bans Are Possible for Some Visa Applicants
Presidential Proclamations 10014 and 10052 suspended the entry of certain immigrants and nonimmigrants until December 31, 2020. However, there are certain exceptions for individuals whose travel to the United States would be in the national interest that have been updated by the…
Potential National Interest Exemptions Available for Some Travelers from Europe
The Department of State (DOS) is clarifying some aspects on what kind of individuals may qualify for the national interest exemptions under Presidential Proclamations 9993 (Schengen Area) and 9996 (United Kingdom and Ireland). On July 16, 2020, a notice was issued by…
Trump administration rescinds foreign students rule
In response to several lawsuits, the Trump administration backs down from its proposed policy to invalidate student visas for those attending online only courses dues to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the article about this recent development written by John…
International Students Will Lose Their Visas if Their Schools Only Offer Online Classes Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
On July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued modifications to the temporary exemptions put in place due to COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19, students that held F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrant visas were only allowed to take one…
What You Need to Know about the New USCIS Policy H-1B Memo
On June 17, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum adjusting some petition requirements for H-1B nonimmigrants. It was prompted to change some of its requirements for H-1B nonimmigrant petitions after the IT Serve Alliance lawsuit…
Q&A Webinar Replay: Trump’s Immigration Ban -June 24, 2020
Attorney Ann Massey Badmus answers questions on the latest Trump Immigration Ban on immigrant visas (#greencards) and H-1B, H-2B, L-1, and some J-1 visa programs. The ban affects workers and family members who are outside the U.S. and haven’t yet…
Children of Permanent Residents and U.S. Citizens Exempt from New Immigration Ban
June 24, 2020 – Last month, litigators from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Justice Action Center (JAC), and Innovation Law Lab, with pro bono support from Mayer Brown LLP, filed a lawsuit on behalf of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents petitioning for…
An update on citizenship application delays due to COVID-19
On June 17, the New York Times reported that approximately 650,000 citizenship applications were pending in the first quarter of the 2020 fiscal year. When the USCIS shut down in person services at its offices on March 18, naturalization ceremonies were delayed…
