October 10, 2018: The Trump Administration has proposed changes to rules regarding how the acceptance of certain public benefits may impact admissibility to the U.S., including the ability to change or extend nonimmigrant status. As summarized by Fragomen Worldwide (immigration law firm): “The proposed regulation would impose stricter standards for determining whether an applicant for Read More »
Author: jmguzman
Premium Processing Fee to Increase on October 1, 2018
September 4, 2018: USCIS has announced that effective October 1, 2018, it will raise the Premium Processing fee to $1,410 (from the current amount of $1,225). All eligible petitions and applications received by USCIS on or after that date requesting this expedited service must include the higher fee. Premium Processing is a service offered by USCIS in Read More »
Important Immigration Policy Changes
August 23, 2018: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), recently announced two very significant policy changes affecting the way it will adjudicate petitions and applications, including those for employment-based classifications sponsored by NC State. Effective September 11, 2018, USCIS officers can deny any Read More »
Beware of Police Complaint Scam
July 12, 2018: A Professor on NC State’s campus has reported that scammers pretending to be with the police called him, and appear to be targeting NC State University faculty and students by asking for immigration documentation and information, and possibly claiming that there are outstanding warrants and fines owed. The scammers might be sophisticated Read More »
New visa/entry restrictions on certain visitors from Burma and Laos
July 10, 2018: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, has announced the implementation of visa sanctions against two countries due to lack of cooperation in accepting their citizens who have been ordered removed from the U.S. Please see https://www.dhs.gov/news/2018/07/10/dhs-announces-implementation-visa-sanctions for the full announcement. BURMA: As of July 9, 2018, Read More »
USCIS using more secure mail delivery service for certain documents
Beginning April 30, 2018, USCIS will begin phasing in use of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery service to mail Green Cards and other secure documents. Per the USCIS announcement (available at https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-begin-using-more-secure-mail-delivery-service): The first phase will affect documents that need to be re-mailed because they have been returned as non-deliverable. These documents include Read More »
Possible Government Shutdown after February 8, 2018
*Update* After a closure of three days, the federal government has resumed normal operations. On January 22, Congress passed, and the President signed, a continuing funding resolution that will fund the government through February 8, 2018, at which time the government could shut down again. *Update* As of 2:30 pm on Friday, January 19, Read More »
Nonimmigrant visa suspension in Turkey
*UPDATE* December 28, 2017: the U.S. Department of State issued a Press Release to state that it has allowed “full resumption of visa services in Turkey.” *UPDATE* November 10, 2017: the U.S. Mission toTurkey has resumed issuing nonimmigrant visas. Visa interviews will take place on a limited basis at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara Read More »
State Department: System Issues Cause Visa Issuance Delays
As reported on December 7, 2017, the U.S. State Department has experienced a technical problem affecting its visa processing systems worldwide, which will cause delays in visa issuance globally. According to a State Department source, 15-20% of approved visa applicants are affected. These applications might appear to be in administrative processing, but this does not Read More »
Nonimmigrant visa suspension and reduction in Russia
*Update*: Beginning December 11, 2017, U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok will offer nonimmigrant visa interviews on a limited basis. These interviews had been suspended at these three locations since late August. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow continues to offer limited immigrant, diversity and nonimmigrant visa services. Visa services are not expected to Read More »