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
Department of State Update: In light of the severe backlogs in visa interview scheduling and in an effort to expedite visa issuance to qualified applicants, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) has extended the Interview Waiver Program for certain nonimmigrants (H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q) and their dependents through December 31, 2022.
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,
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
Important Reminder: As we are reaching the end of the H-1B filing season under the annual government-imposed “cap,” be sure to submit your cap-subject H-1B petitions by the June 30, 2021 deadline. Petitions that are not received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by the deadline will be rejected. When submitting the petitions,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has started the new year with an announcement of the final rule intended to modify the annual H-1B petitions selection process under the government-imposed cap, amend current H-1B visa lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and “better ensure the most highly skilled
H1-B Visa Program: Interim Final Rule DHS has announced its interim final rule (IFR) that amounts to an overhaul of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program with a goal to protect the U.S. labor market. According to DHS, “more than half a million H-1B nonimmigrants in the United States have been used to displace U.S. workers,”
USCIS Reopened Selection of Registrations for H-1B: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reopened selection of registrations for the FY2021 H-1B Cap. The initial selection occurred in March of this year and all selected H-1B petitions were supposed to be filed in June 2020. However, there were indications that, most likely, due to
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Deadlines Due to the ongoing pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had previously extended deadlines for responses to the government’s notices such as requests for evidence (RFEs), Notices of Intent to Deny, Revoke, Rescind, and Terminate proceedings, and filing dates for requests for a hearing, appeal, and related motions.