Individuals From Hong Kong May Apply For Employment Authorization

Update Post May 22, 2023 Eligible Hong Kong residents may apply for EADs through Feb. 5, 2025. On Jan. 26, 2023, President Biden issued a memorandum extending and expanding DED for certain Hong Kong residents for 24 months. Eligible Hong Kong residents covered under DED as of Jan. 26, 2023, may remain in the United States through Feb. 5, 2025, and are eligible to work in the United States. USCIS...

USCIS May Lose Your RFE Response

Yes, it's true that your filings may get lost after they've been delivered to USCIS. In our experience, it's extremely rare for USCIS to lose a package after it has been delivered to its facility. Oftentimes, it's the carrier that may have lost/damaged the package while on route to USCIS. This may happen due to no fault of anyone such as extreme weather or a car accident. For time-sensitive...

Tip Sheet On How To Communicate with the USCIS Contact Center More Effective

The CIS Ombudsman has released a guide to help customers better navigate the USCIS Contact Center. Helpful tips include: When does it make sense to reach out to the USCIS Contact Center?What else can I do in my online account to bypass the USCIS Contact Center?How can I make sure I get my call returned?How can I make sure I don’t miss a return call?What constitutes an emergency?I need to...

I-140 Processing Time

The processing times here generally cover PERM-based I-140s. EB-1a, EB-1b, and EB-2 NIW will be highlighted in other posts. Update 11/24/2023 We are back with some more updates on I-140 processing times. EB-2 Approval at Texas Service Center Filing Date: May 4, 2023 Approval Date: October 2, 2023 Duration: Approximately 5 months USCIS Posted Processing Time: 6.5 months EB-3 Approval at Nebraska...

H-1B Processing Update

We are starting a new post to track the processing timeframes of non-premium H-1B cases. Please check out a related post on Fast H-1B Approval Without Premium. Update 11/21/2023 Record-breaking processing speed of cap-subject H-1B continues. Recent Case Highlight: H-1B Case Filed: 10/10/2023 at Nebraska Service Center Status: Approved Approval Date: 10/18/2023 Processing Duration: Just 8 days!...

May Need a New Medical Exam If the Civil Surgeon is No Longer Listed

This is a situation where the reviewing officer's discretion plays a significant role. USCIS has a tool on its website that lists all the civil surgeons in the US who are authorized to complete the I-693 medical exam. Applicants would go to the online tool, search for a civil surgeon near where they live, set up an appointment, and complete the medical exam. The sealed medical exam report...