The final rule has been published, formally announcing the increase in USCIS filing fees for the first time in six years. You may view an abbreviated listing of the most frequently filed forms at the link above. Please plan accordingly for 2017 budgeting. 2016 USCIS Fee Increase (PDF)
Proposed USCIS Fee Increase
The Department of Homeland Security is proposing an increase to most fees charged by the USCIS. The USCIS conducted a fee review and determined that the current fee structure was not covering costs. The comment period has ended as of July 6th 2016. Please consider the fee increases listed here for appropriate budget planning. Proposed…
STEM OPT Continuation Update
As you may know, the validity of the regulation authorizing STEM OPT extensions of 17 months has been challenged. While the Court ruled back in August 2015 that the DHS had the authority to create the STEM program, it also held that the DHS did not follow the procedural rules required for implementation of a…
STEM OPT Extended to 24 Months
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has successfully published its final rule relating to STEM OPT extensions in the Federal Register as of 11 May 2016. This final rule has established that the STEM extension is now up to 24 months; a potential increase of 7 months over the previous rule. The new rule establishes…
Revised Procedures for Determining Visa Availability
Upcoming Changes to the Visa Bulletin Pursuant to the executive actions announced by President Obama in November 2014, the Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced revised procedures on how to modernize and streamline the visa backlog system. In order to more accurately predict overall immigrant visa demand and…
DOS Reneges On October 2015 Visa Bulletin
On September 25th, the Department of State (DOS) published an ‘updated’ Visa Bulletin for October 2015. This bulletin supersedes the bulletin for October 2015 that was originally published on September 9, 2015. With the publishing of this updated visa bulletin the Federal Government has now caused numerous foreign-born individuals to be ineligible to file adjustment…
USCIS Reaches FY 2016 H-1B Cap
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2016. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption. USCIS will use a computer-generated process, also known as the lottery, to randomly select the petitions…
Presidential Action on Immigration
After President Obama’s speech on 11/20/14 there are still many unknowns about how his remarks will affect the immigration process. The CIS and DOL have issued memos attempting to give some guidance on these issues. Please be aware that nothing is taking effect immediately and most likely anything that will be implemented will be 90…
Effects of Government Shut-down – October 2013
As you may know, until congress passes a budget for the new fiscal year, the US government is in a state of partial shutdown effective today, October 1, 2013. Unfortunately, this shutdown means that some immigration services provided by the US government are temporarily suspended or delayed. According to the government agencies involved in immigration,…
New Procedures for Paperless I-94
Admission Procedures for Nonimmigrants Beginning April 30, 2013, individuals entering the United States through an airport or seaport using a nonimmigrant visa (including the H, L, O, P and TN classifications) will no longer receive a paper Form I‐94 to record their entry and departure dates. Instead, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will place an…
USCIS reaches FY 2014 H-1B Cap
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption. After today, USCIS will…
CBP will eliminate paper I-94 cards in April 2013
CBP Announces Automation of Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today published an interim final rule in the Federal Register to automate Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. Form I-94 provides nonimmigrants evidence that they have been lawfully admitted to the United States. The interim final rule, effective on April 26, 2013, streamlines the admissions process for…
