Immigration Law News | Getson & Schatz

24 Jun USCIS Extends Additional Time to Respond to Agency Requests

Posted at 15:12h in Immigration News

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners and requestors who are responding to certain: Requests for Evidence; Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14); Notices of Intent to Deny; Notices of Intent...

27 Apr USCIS Issues Policy Guidance on Deference to Previous Decisions

Posted at 14:36h in Immigration News

USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual instructing officers to give deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension requests involving the same parties and facts unless there was a material error, material change, or new material facts. With this update, USCIS is reverting...

12 Apr F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Now File Form I-765 Online

Posted at 15:35h in Immigration News

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories: (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT; (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of...

01 Apr USCIS Confirms Elimination of Blank Space Rejections

Posted at 20:38h in Immigration News

USCIS confirmed that for all forms it has reverted to the form rejection criteria it applied before October 2019 regarding blank responses. In 2019, USCIS changed the form rejection criteria for: Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal; Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the...

10 Mar 2019 Public Charge Rule to End

Posted at 03:01h in Immigration News

Today, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that the government will no longer defend the 2019 public charge rule as doing so is neither in the public interest nor an efficient use of limited government resources. “The 2019 public charge rule was not in keeping with...

08 Mar TPS Authorized for Venezuela

Posted at 22:00h in Immigration News

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas is designating Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, until September 2022. This new designation of TPS for Venezuela enables Venezuelan nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Venezuela) currently residing in the United...

26 Feb Overseas Immigrant Visa Ban Lifted

Posted at 21:30h in Immigration News

President Biden lifted former President Trump’s pandemic-related green card ban. President Biden lifted the Trump administration’s orders preventing foreigners from moving to the U.S. on new green cards, saying the orders failed to advance American interests. Trump first enacted the ban last April, and it...

24 Feb USCIS to Implement Premium Processing for E-3 Petitions for Australian Nationals

Posted at 17:42h in Immigration News

Starting Feb. 24, 2021, petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting a change or extension of status to E-3 classification will have the option to request premium processing service for their petition. The E-3 classification applies only to nationals of Australia who...

22 Feb USCIS To Continue to Use Existing Version of Naturalization Civics Test

Posted at 16:39h in Immigration News

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test beginning March 1, 2021. On Dec. 1, 2020, USCIS implemented a revised naturalization civics test (2020 civics test) as part of a decennial test review...

05 Feb 2021 H-1B Lottery to Run from March 9 to March 25

Posted at 19:13h in Immigration News

USCIS today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 9 and run through noon Eastern on March 25. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registrations. A confirmation number will be assigned to each registration submitted for the FY 2022 H-1B cap. This...