On October 1, 2021, immigrants to the US will be required to supply evidence of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of immigrant visa issuance or approval of an adjustment of status application....more
On June 9, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new policy updates to the USCIS Policy Manual that will clarify the criteria and circumstances for expedited processing; improve the existing request...more
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has announced several new USCIS policies meant to improve the legal immigration system, eliminate barriers, and reduce burdens on applicants...more
Deference is back! USCIS announced that, effective immediately, it will reinstate its 2004 policy of deferring to prior determinations of eligibility. Rescinded by the Trump administration, this policy directed officers...more
On Thursday, January 28, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be extending deadlines for responding to specific requests from the agency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that significantly revises the "specialty occupation" H-1B legal standard, among other changes. The regulation is...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous travel bans and “shelter in place” orders which have been recently announced, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will extend...more
Join Ulmer for a live webinar on January 14 at 2 p.m. (ET) as Partner David W. Leopold discusses what corporate counsel must know about navigating increasingly complicated policies aimed at business immigration....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued updated data confirming that requests for evidence (RFE) and denials continue to climb for most commonly used nonimmigrant visas. The rate of RFEs and denials for...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a breakdown of the top 10 reasons it issued requests for evidence (RFEs) for H-1B petitions in fiscal year (FY) 2018. The list lends some context to recent USCIS...more
U.S. immigration policy has changed quickly and substantially in the past two years. While a handful of policies have received the majority of media attention—such as the separation of families at the border—the Department of...more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is resuming Premium Processing for all H-1B Petitions on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Premium processing is an expedited process. For an additional filing fee of...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new data confirming that both requests for evidence (RFEs) and denials are on the rise for many nonimmigrant visa categories. The rates for RFEs and denials, which...more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today February 15, 2019, that it will resume premium processing on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019 for all H-1B petitions filed on or before Dec. 21, 2018....more
On November 29, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) announced the publication of a policy memorandum dated November 15, 2018 that clarified the L-1 one-year foreign employment requirement. The memorandum...more
In recent weeks, several notable policy changes have taken place concerning the adjudication of immigration petitions by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)....more
Beginning shortly before President Trump issued his Buy American Hire American executive order in April 2017, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency within the Department of Homeland Security...more
Although we are still officially in the year 2017, it is a good time for employers to start preparing for the H-1B Cap for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY2019). H-1B cases must be filed between April 2, 2018 and April 7, 2018 to be...more
The H-1B visa program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in “specialty occupations.” In recent months, several changes to the program have either been announced or proposed, with...more
While the L-1B Adjudications Policy Memorandum published by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on August 17, 2015, effective as of August 31, 2015, has many positive components, petitioners and practitioners...more
8 CFR § 103.2(b)(8) - Evidence of eligibility or ineligibility. If the evidence submitted with the benefit request establishes eligibility, USCIS will approve the benefit request, except that in any case in which the...more
Identical requests on Adjustment of Status applications have been issued specifically to EB-2 applicants chargeable to India. On June 13, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) began issuing a substantial...more