Due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the white house has issued a proclamation barring the entry of nonimmigrant/immigrant visitors who were physically present in the following countries: Republic of BotswanaKingdom of EswatiniKingdom of LesothoRepublic of MalawiRepublic of MozambiqueRepublic of NamibiaRepublic of South AfricaRepublic of Zimbabwe This proclamation is...
Update May 12, 2022 On Nov. 12, 2021, USCIS issued a policy announcement to clarify that it will consider E and L spouses to be employment authorized based on their valid E or L nonimmigrant status. Since the November 2021 announcement, the Department of Homeland Security added new Class of Admission (COA) codes to distinguish between E and L spouses and children. As of Jan. 30, 2022, USCIS and...
USCIS issued a policy alert on 10/29/2021 to help some Liberian Nationals in meeting the filing deadline (12/20/2021) for Adjustment of Status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) law. LRIF allows certain Liberian nationals and their spouses, unmarried children under 21 years old, or unmarried sons and daughters 21 years or older living in the United States who meet the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Update 09/26/2024 Here are the latest processing updates from a recent sample of approvals. Recent H-1B Processing Times by Case Type and Service Center: Texas Service Center: Extension: Filed on 07/08/2024, approved on 09/10/2024 (2 months). Vermont Service Center: Change of Employer: Filed on 11/08/2023, approved on 08/20/2024 (9 months). Change of Employer: Filed on 02/22/2024, approved on...
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...
Update 10/29/2021 This is not over yet! The interview scheduled for 10/28/2021 was canceled on the date of the interview. We received a case update that a new interview date has been scheduled. Original Post 09/29/2021 No one knows what's going on but these things do happen from time to time. Naturalization client attended the first interview in June 2021 and did not pass the civics test. That's...
