Visa Lawyer Blog
H-1B Filing Season Opens Next Week
USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions that are subject to the FY 2019 cap on April 2, 2018. To make sure you are prepared click here for a running checklist of supporting documents typically included in a cap-subject petition. In addition please click here to read our H-1B guide. For filing assistance, and tips on increasing your chances of approval please contact our office for a consultation. Best of luck!
Power of Attorney No Longer Accepted
Beginning March 18, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will no longer accept power of attorney signatures on forms submitted to the agency.
Now, applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits will be required to provide a valid signature on forms submitted to the agency. This prohibition will apply to forms that are filed by a corporation or other legal entity, meaning that an authorized representative or agent of the corporation or entity must be prepared to provide a valid signature on all forms submitted to USCIS.
Individuals who will remain unaffected by this new policy change are minors who are younger than the age of 14, or individuals with qualifying disabilities. USCIS will no longer allow applicants or petitioners the opportunity to correct a faulty signature, and will instead reject a form submitted without a valid signature.
Re-Registration Period Closed for Haitians and Salvadorians with TPS
As a reminder, we would like to notify our readers that the re-registration period for current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Haiti and El Salvador’s designation, has now closed. The period to re-register in order to maintain TPS status through the program’s termination date, began on January 18 and ended March 19.
If you registered to maintain your status before March 19, you remain eligible to live and work in the United States until the program’s official termination date (September 9, 2019 for El Salvador and July 22, 2019 for Haiti).
If you failed to re-register during the re-registration period you must seek counsel immediately to determine if there are any options for you to remain in the United States. Failure to do so can result in your expedited removal from the United States.
Re-Registration Period is Open for Syrian Nationals
Syrian nationals currently receiving benefits under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) must re-register between March 5, and May 4, 2018, to maintain their status under the program. For more information on how to register, please click here.