We are seeing improvement in NIW processing times. NIW cases at the Nebraska Service Center have not been too seriously affected by the pandemic. NIW cases are still being adjudicated at the NSC in approximately 8 months. The Texas Service Center was struggling before the pandemic and became even worse. The NIW processing times posted […]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. consulates and embassies in many countries around the world are still not operating at full capacity. 33 countries still require that non U.S. citizens or permanent residents obtain a National Interest Exception (NIE) before they can enter the U.S. from the affected countries. Embassy shopping has been pretty much […]
USCIS in furtherance of President Biden’s executive order, “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans” has issued a new policy guidance which restored the 2004 guidance giving USCIS officers deference. The 2004 guidance was rescinded in 2017 by the Trump Administration, in their efforts to curtail […]
Effective immediately the I-944 is no longer required. On March 10, USCIS posted an update to the Public Charge Rule. It sated that As of March 9, 2021, “applicants for for adjustment of status should not provide the Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency, or any evidence or documentation required on that form with their Form […]
On March 9, 2021, DHS issued a litigation statement announcing that it would no longer continue its attempts to enforce the public charge rule. Later in the day, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a follow-up statement announcing that DHS had withdrawn from all public charge related litigation. The DHS has dismissed the appeals that were […]
On Wednesday February 24, 2021 President Biden revoked, with limited exceptions, the ban on immigrant visas, at consulates and embassies overseas. However, the ban on the issuance of nonimmigrant work visas such as H-1B, H-2B, L and certain J visas was not revoked. The nonimmigrant visa ban is set to expire on March 31, 2021 […]
Today, Wednesday February 2, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order titled “Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans”. In Section 4 of the Order, titled “Immediate Review of Agency Actions on Public Charge Inadmissibility,” President Biden is requiring the State Department, the […]
As mentioned in the prior blog, during his first day in office, President Biden revoked the Travel Ban instituted by the Trump Administration in February of 2017. The “Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States” effective immediately revoked Executive Order 13780 of March 6, 2017 (Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist […]
Early Wednesday, soon to be President Biden announced major new immigration policies that he wants to quickly implement. The most important to our clients is that he wants to clear up the employment-based immigration backlog and do away with per country visa caps. This is exciting news and we are hopeful that the new administration […]
With Joseph R. Biden Jr. being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Devi Harris being sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 2021, there are likely to be significant immigration changes coming soon. Vice President Harris is not only the first woman to serve as Vice President; she […]
