Employment-Based Immigration

On June 9, 2021, USCIS announced some important policy changes as well as their intention to start issuing 2-year EADs (Employment Authorization Document) for certain adjustment of status applicants. 2- year EADs Certain adjustment of status applicants will now receive a 2-year EAD, instead of just a 1-year card.  Although adjustment of status applicants are...

USCIS has stated it will suspend the biometrics requirements for H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2 and E-3 applicants from May 17th, 2021 for a period of 2 years.  The biometric requirement was introduced by the Trump administration and was particularly cumbersome for H-4 and L-2 applicants as it meant that their applications would no longer be...

More great news coming from the Biden Administration. In 2004 USCIS released a policy which stated that officers should generally defer to prior determinations when making a decision on an extension petition.  However, the Trump administration rescinded this policy which created havoc, especially in the H-1B community.  It meant that individuals who had previously been...

Despite a new administration no action was ever taken by President Biden to revoke Proclamation 10052. This Trump Proclamation suspended entry of certain nonimmigrants in the US and including those on H-1B, H-2B, J and L1s and was extended by Trump by Proclamation 10131 until March 31, 2021. However, the Department of State (DOS) has...

On April 12, 2021 USCIS announced that F-1 students can file OPT and STEM OPT applications online using form I-765. This applies to the following applications: Pre-completion OPT; Post completion OPT; and 24- month extension of OPT known as STEM OPT. USCIS has also warned that anyone else that attempts to file I-765 online that...

2 years ago I wrote an article on the problems of taking Day 1 CPT and thought it was time to revisit this issue. Click here to see my previous article. At the time of writing my previous article, USCIS was taking a very firm stand on Day 1 CPT cases.  In fact, students applying...

The length of time for adjudication of petitions through USCIS continues to increase despite a new administration and new leadership of USCIS in the form of Alejandro Mayorkas. On March 22, 2021 the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), specifically in relation to the long...

USCIS recently released its updated FAQs on the electronic registration for FY2022.  Those questions can be accessed via the link below: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-electronic-registration-process One of those questions concerns multiple filings by related entities for the same beneficiary. USCIS reminds applicants that an employer may not file more than one H-1B petition for the same beneficiary in...