self On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, by a 5-4 vote, the Trump administration’s third travel ban order under Presidential Proclamation 9645, issued September 24, 2017. The ban prevents indefinitely the entry into the United States of certain nationals from specific countries, with some exceptions. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fact… Read more »
self On June 21, 2018, (USCIS began recalled approximately 800 employment authorization documents (EADs) The EAD’s that were issued in conjunction with Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, which were granted by USCIS asylum officers. USCIS said the cards contain a production error that transposed the first and last names of… Read more »
self ICE/SEVP Warns Students About Volunteer Positions On May 18, 2018, ICE and Exchange Visitor Program provided guidance to OPT students Volunteer positions that are not directly related to course of study do not qualify as [OPT] and must not be listed as OPT employment. Reporting non-qualifying volunteer opportunities as OPT employment will be deemed… Read more »
self USCIS began accepting H-2B petitions on May 31, 2018, under the temporary final rule increasing the numerical limit, or cap, on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 15,000 additional visas through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2018. USCIS said that in the first five business days of filing, USCIS received petitions for more… Read more »
self USCIS Sends Letter on B-1/B-2 Upcoming Proposed Regulation On May 30, 2018, L. Francis Cissna, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), sent a letter to Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), who had hosted a May 16, 2018, roundtable on B-1 visa issues. The letter notes that USCIS is reviewing existing regulations, policies, and… Read more »
self USCIS Announces Launch of Online FOIA Request Processing System U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the launch of its “Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records SysTem (FIRST),” which the agency said “will eventually allow users to submit, manage, and receive FOIA requests entirely online.” Before this change, USCIS only accepted FOIA… Read more »
self 132 Members of Congress Urge DHS to Continue Allowing H-4 Spouses of H-1B Nonimmigrants to Work One hundred and thirty-two members of Congress sent a letter on May 16, 2018, to Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, urging maintenance of the current regulation granting work authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrant… Read more »
self On April 11, 2018, USCIS announced that it had used a computer-generated random process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2019. USCIS said it received 190,098 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began… Read more »
self U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently launched a new website, E-Verify.gov. USCIS called it “the authoritative source for information on electronic employment eligibility verification.” The website is intended for employers, employees, and the general public. The website provides information about E-Verify and Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, including employee rights and employer responsibilities… Read more »
self On April 4, 2018, L. Francis Cissna, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), sent a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary discussing the agency’s review of existing regulations, policies, and programs and its development of “a combination of rulemaking, policy memoranda, and operational changes… Read more »
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