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Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received 201,011 H-1B petitions subject to the annual cap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The Agency confirmed that on April 10, 2019, it completed its computer-generated selection process to select sufficient H-1B petitions to meet both the regular cap of 65,000 petitions and the advanced degree […]
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Temporary Protected Status or TPS, is a temporary immigration benefit for individuals from a country that is experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or another temporary serious condition. Individuals who are granted TPS receive two main benefits: 1) protection from deportation/removal; and 2) authorization to work in the United States. In September 2017 the Trump […]
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When the Trump administration announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would be terminated, they directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reject all initial applications received after September 05, 2017, and reject all renewal applications filed after October 05, 2017. We now find ourselves over a year later and […]
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If you were issued a two-year lawful permanent resident card, this means that your residency status is conditional and you will need petition to remove the conditions on your residency. This is done by filing Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residency with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during the 90-day window […]
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On May 22, 2018, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the final registration period for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of Nepal is open and beneficiaries must re-register before July 23, 2019. Beneficiaries of TPS from Nepal are currently granted protection and employment authorization until June 24, 2018. Due to the […]
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Due to a Federal Court Order directing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to resume accepting renewal applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), individuals currently holding DACA and people whose DACA expired on or after September 5, 2016 are encouraged to submit DACA renewal applications to USCIS immediately. It is widely known […]
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On January 9, 2018, Federal Court Judge William Alsup from the Federal District Court in San Francisco, California ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume processing applications for renewal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) while an on-going legal challenge to the Trump Administration’s rescission of the DACA program is resolved. Judge […]
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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has announced that beginning April 3, 2017, it will temporarily suspend Premium Processing of I-129 Petitions filed by U.S. employers seeking H-1B work visas on behalf of professional foreign national employees in specialty occupation positions. This suspension will apply to all H-1B Petitions including: – H-1B Petitions filed […]
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On November 14, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) released a new version of Form I-9 – Employment Eligibility Verification. The new Form I-9 is available at the USCIS “I-9 Central” website. Starting on January 21, 2017, employers are required to begin using the new I-9 Form (version 11/14/16). Employers may continue using […]
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On October 24, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced fee increases for most immigration applications and petitions. USCIS operations are funded almost entirely through application fees and the agency is required to evaluate fees every two years. This is the first fee increase for USCIS in six (6) years, and we will […]
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USCIS announced limited relief for people that have been affected by the recent earthquakes in Japan, Ecuador, and Burma. USCIS has softened some of their rules in certain cases when demonstrating need based on the earthquakes. Some examples of relief include: Changing or extending status in certain cases, even if status may have already expired […]
Continue Reading Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson has extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Sudan for an additional period of 18 months. The Secretary has determined that due to on-going armed conflict in Sudan, the country is experiencing extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent its nationals from returning in safety and that […]
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