US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have temporarily amended DHS regulations to increase the automatic extension period available to certain Employment Authorization Document (EAD Card) renewal applicants from 180 days to 540 days. This is good news for Canadians with EAD cards that are soon-to-expire and recently expired. What is an EAD? An EAD card […]
Premium Processing Updates Earlier this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would be expanding premium processing services to more categories of applicants to increase efficiency and speed-up decision-making processes. This process will be phased in starting this June, with the ability to upgrade to premium processing for two more form I-140 […]
The United States Department of State administers the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program to award green cards to qualifying individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the US. The US awards up to 55,000 visas annually through the program, all of which are awarded through random selection. In this article, we explain who’s eligible […]
If you were denied entry at the border and told that you need a waiver to enter US, there may be several reasons that such a result occurred. The most likely reasons for being denied entry to the United States is having a criminal record or overstaying in the US. Not all crimes will lead […]
A new policy notice updated the STEM OPT Designation Degree Program List. What is OPT and STEM? OPT is a work permit available to certain F-1 nonimmigrant students. Students can use OPT to work for one year after their studies. The STEM OPT extension is a 24-month extension of OPT available to F-1 nonimmigrant students […]
Having the work-related experience that complements or supplements your area of academic studies adds invaluable weight to a resume and often helps with fine-tuning one’s career choice. The United States (US) facilitates this type of experience gathering for international students attending its colleges and universities through Optional Practical Training (OPT). If you are studying or […]
Major changes in the framework for issuing work permits for spouses L2 and H4 are on the way! A landmark settlement was reached in Shergill, et al v. Mayorkas, which provides significant changes for nonimmigrant L2 and H4 spouses waiting for work permits. Highlights Work Permits for Spouses L2: automatic work authorization incident to status, […]
Marker Research Analysts – H-1B Visa USCIS reached a settlement agreement in the case of MadKudu Inc., et al. v. U.S., Citizenship Services, et al., No. 20-cv-2653 (N.D. Cal.). The settlement agreement provides new guidance for deciding H-1B petitions for market research analysts. In this case, USCIS had denied plaintiffs H-1B petitions for market research […]
As of November 8, 2021, new rules will allow non-citizens who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the United States as tourists. The details for flying and driving into the USA are below. Flying into USA The geographic COVID-19 travel bans will be rescinded and replaced with COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all international air […]
Do you have a criminal record and are trying to enter the United States? You may be denied entry unless you’ve received a US entry waiver. This waiver provides you with special permission to enter the US legally despite a criminal record that would otherwise make you inadmissible. Obtaining a US entry waiver can be […]
A new precedent decision makes clear what will be deemed an aggravated felony for immigration purposes. Matter of Onesta Reyes was decided by the Attorney General on July 30, 2020. In this case, the issue was whether an alien who had been convicted of a criminal offense necessarily was convicted of an “aggravated felony” for […]
Green Cards, or permanent resident cards, are government identification documents issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A Green Card allows the holder to work and live in the United States (U.S.). If you are interested in applying for a U.S. Green Card for your parent(s), you must be a U.S. citizen […]
Due to COVID-19, four presidential proclamations suspend the entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in one of a number of designated countries (Brazil, China, Iran, Ireland, Schengen Area countries, United Kingdom, South Africa, India) during the 14-days preceding their attempted admission into the United States. These are Presidential Proclamation […]
Several related diversity visa lawsuits (Filazapovich et al. v Department of State et al.; Goh et al. v U.S. Department of State et al.; Goodluck et al. v Biden et al., among these) were recently filed on behalf of more than 24,000 diversity visa lottery winners from over 100 countries to challenge the U.S. State […]
An EB-5 Regional Center can offer several benefits for EB-5 investors. The EB-5 Visa is a green card for qualified investors. To be eligible, the individual must make a minimum investment in a new commercial enterprise that will create at least 10 jobs. The minimum investment required is $1 million, or $500,000 if investing in […]