H-1B Cap Lottery Timelines Released by USCIS The H-1B Cap Season is quickly approaching and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has recently announced important dates for the upcoming visa lottery. The initial registration period for fiscal year (“FY”) 2024 will run from 11:00 am CST on March 1, 2023, through 11:00 am CST on
USCIS Policy Updates for Certain Permanent Residency Card Renewal Applicants In response to lengthy processing times for naturalization applicants, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has updated its Policy Manual to allow for the automatic extension of Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., “Green Cards”) for individuals with properly filed and pending Form N-400, Application for
Loss of Accreditation Determination by the U.S. Department of Education Based on the recent determination by the U.S. Department of Education that it no longer recognizes the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (“ACICS”) as an accrediting agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is having to revisit the effect of same on the
Automatic Extension Period Increased for Green Card Validity As of September 26, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) began automatically extending the validity of expired Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., green cards) from 12 to 24 months for lawful permanent residents who have timely and properly filed an application to renew an expiring or
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