Some TPS Holders May Now Be Considered “Inspected and Admitted” and Be Eligible For Adjustment of Status

On July 1, 2022, USCIS issued an update to its policy manual which clarified that Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries may be deemed eligible for adjustment of status to the extent that they meet the inspected and admitted requirement following a return from authorized travel. TPS beneficiaries who travel abroad temporarily, with the prior consent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security...

USCIS Updates Guidance for O-1 Petitions Focusing on STEM Fields

USCIS has updated policy guiance on how USCIS  evaluates evidence to determine eligibility for O-1A nonimmigrants of extraordinary ability, with a focus on persons in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. Update:  Being named on a competitive government grant for STEM research can be a positive factor towards demonstrating that a beneficiary is at the top of the...

Updated Post 07/07/2022

USCIS Temporarily Increases Automatic EAD extension up to 540 daysUSCIS posts alert about “Transfer the Underlying Basis” and creates inflated expectations over EB I-485 applicationsI-485 EB Processing Update

H-1B Receipt Notice Delays at the Vermont Service Center

Update July 15, 2022 The good news is that we have already received approvals for some of the H-1Bs affected by the receipt delay. Update July 1, 2022 First Vermont, now California is experiencing unusual delay in issuing H-1B receipt notices. Interestingly, Vermont has been transferring workload to California since June to address its own delay and speed up the intaking process. Update June 22,...

Updated Posts 06/14/2022

I-485 EB Processing UpdateH-1B Processing UpdateFast H-1B Approval Without PremiumUSCIS posts alert about “Transfer the Underlying Basis” and creates inflated expectations over EB I-485 applications

USCIS Expands Premium Processing to I-140 EB1 (EB1-C) and I-140 EB-2 (NIW)

Update Post, January 12, 2023 Starting January 30, 2023, premium processing will be available to new and pending: -E13 multinational executive/manager petitions. I-140 (NIW) -E21 NIW petitions no more phased expansion of premium processing. I-140 (EB-1C) Update Post, September 16, 2022 USCIS continues to expand premium processing for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140, Immigrant...

Is the New Estimated Case Processing Time Better than Before?

On May 5, 2022, USCIS announced changes to simplify and improve how the agency communicates case processing time data to the public. Users can now immediately find the processing time information for their particular type of case, rather than seeing an aggregate of all related case types. Additional changes include: Adding drop-down options for form categories will help narrow results to only...

USCIS Temporarily Increases Automatic EAD extension up to 540 days

Update July 7, 2022 USCIS has informed the public that some applicants may have received incorrect receipt notices showing the outdated 180-day automatic extension instead of the current 540-day automatic extension. The incorrect receipt notices were issued between May 4, 2022 and June 2, 2022. Affected applicants should be receiving the correct notices by the third week of July. Sample...