President Trump signed a number of Executive Orders related to Immigration on his first day in office. One of the most profound is the Executive Order entitled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship". This Order reverses a longstanding law established in 1857 known as "Birthright Citizenship." Birthright Citizenship means that...
Ever since the election, the most common question I get during consultations is "How is Immigration Policy going to change under Trump?"
The good news is that the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) just hosted a roundtable discussing these anticipated changes, focusing on family immigration. And for the bad news: the changes are going to make most filings more difficult. Here's how...
AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) has alerted members that the USCIS Final Fee Rule could be published as a final rule within the next few weeks.
The White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the final rule containing the new fees on Monday, January 8, 2024. Although OIRA typically has up to 90 days to complete its review, the Administration may prioritize finalizing this rule as it has been eight years since the last fee increase...
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has posted an ALERT to all of its members warning that USCIS could issue a new fee hike very soon. The alert states as follows:
"AILA alerts members that the USCIS Final Fee Rule could be published as a final rule within the next few weeks. The White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the final rule containing the new fees on Monday, January 8, 2024, as described below...
The H-1B Masters Cap has been reached! Yesterday, USCIS officially notified the H-1B community that a sufficient number of H-1B Masters Cap petitions have been submitted to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 Advanced Degree Cap.
Petitioners who had registered their potential employees for the H-1B lottery will begin to receive non-selection notices through their online accounts over the next few days. Read more below...
PITTSBURGH — This city jumped into action multiple times recently amid rumors that buses of migrants would be arriving here from the U.S.-Mexico border. The emergency operations center and Red Cross were activated, temporary camps for men and women and children were identified, and interpreters from throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania were put on standby...
Immigration Lawyers must be prepared for the inevitability of a USCIS delay so that when the issue arises, there is a plan of action in place. While the large majority of lawyer-filed cases are approved within expected timeframes, USCIS delays do happen and any delay is a delay too many.
The American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) has just released an information sheet addressing these delays, the primary audience being those who have filed without lawyer assistance and find themselves waiting months and months with no work from Immigration... More information from AILA below:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has finally launched a new online form for individuals and their attorneys to request an in-person appointment at their local field office without having to call the USCIS Contact Center.
This online appointment request form allows individuals or their legal representatives to request an in-person appointment at a local Field Office only for:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today released policy guidance on the eligibility criteria for initial and renewal applications for employment authorization documents (EADs) in compelling circumstances based on existing regulatory requirements at 8 CFR 204.5(p).
For an applicant to be eligible for an initial EAD based on compelling circumstances, they must meet the following eligibility requirements:
On March 16, 2023, USCIS announced a new procedure to obtain ADIT stamps, which constitute temporary evidence of permanent residence, typically issued while Form I-90, I-751, or N-400 applications are pending. This new procedure is due to USCIS delays in processing these applications. For more information, continue reading below...
In our communities, ICE often encounters people who are parents of minor children or who may be the legal guardians of a child or an incapacitated adult. Last summer, the Biden administration released a “policy directive” or instructions for ICE officers on how to handle these situations. The instructions include things ICE officers must do when they arrest a parent or legal guardian. Many of these instructions are about who will take care of minor children or incapacitated adults if ICE separates them from their parents or legal guardians. The
instructions put the responsibility on ICE to make sure that they do not abuse the “fundamental interests” (i.e., rights) of parents, legal guardians, and their minor child(ren) or incapacitated
H-1B season is upon us! If you have an employee you would like to sponsor, now is the time to start planning. For your convenience, we are distributing the below fact sheet through AILA. Please reach out for any questions via "Schedule a Consultation."
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today new designs to improve security of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). USCIS will begin issuing the redesigned cards on Jan. 30, 2023.
The new Green Card and EAD designs contain state-of-the-art technology that continue to safeguard national security and improve service for our customers. Changes include:
- improved detailed artwork;
- tactile printing that is better integrated with the artwork;
- enhanced optically variable ink;
- highly secure holographic images on the front and back of the cards;
- a layer-reveal feature with a partial window on the back photo box; and
- data fields displayed in different places than on previous versions.
