Annual Report to Congress by the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (“CIS”) Ombudsman The CIS recently released its annual report on the state of affairs at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), addressing issues encountered by individuals and employers applying for immigration benefits and reviewing areas for improvement. While the CIS Ombudsman’s recommendations
Relief for Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”) Applicants Effective May 4, 2022 On May 3, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a Temporary Final Rule (“TFR”) to increase the automatic extension period for certain EAD categories. The temporary extension period (initially 180 days from the expiration date listed on the EAD) has been
Form I-9 COVID Flexibilities Extended Through October 21, 2022 The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has extended I-9 flexibilities enacted in response to stay-at-home orders and document renewal difficulties faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flexibilities, which were set to expire on April 30, 2022, have been extended through October 31, 2022. In addition to
H-1B Registration Period for FY 2023 CAP-Subject H-1B Petitions Opens on March 1, 2022 FY 2023 H-1B cap season is quickly approaching, with the registration period opening at noon on March 1, 2022 and ending at noon on March 18, 2022. All H-1B registrations must be submitted online during this period to be counted in
H-1B Registration The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that the initial registration period for Fiscal Year 2023 (“FY 2023”) H-1B cap will open on March 1, 2022 at noon EST and run through noon EST on March 18, 2022. USCIS intends to notify registrants by March 31st whether their H-1B registration
Receipt Notice Delays Due to COVID-19 restrictions and filing increases, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently experiencing a four to six week delay in issuing receipt notices for applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. The delay period varies according to the lockbox facility and application/petition filed, with more
International Travel Update: On November 26th, 2021, the White House issued a proclamation suspending and limiting entry into the United States for certain individuals traveling from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe which are the countries where the COVID-19 Omicron variant has been detected in substantive numbers thus far. Restrictions began
U.S. to Rescind Travel Bans for China, Iran, the Schengen Area, U.K., Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India The U.S. plans to lift air travel restrictions for foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated, targeting early November 2021 for foreign travel to resume for the first time in over a year. Since early in the COVID-pandemic,
– United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to extend the validity period of receipt notices issued to conditional permanent residents with pending Removal of Condition applications. The receipt notices, used by the conditional residents to prove their legal status, employment, and travel eligibility in the U.S. currently are valid for 18 months.
In March 2021, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted the initial lottery round for the electronic H-1B registrations for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap. The petition filing period for the selected registrations was from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. USCIS uses historical data related to H-1B petition approvals, denials