In the midst of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic, USCIS reminds applicants and petitioners impacted by the pandemic that they can seek certain types of discretionary relief on a case-by-case basis. Relief for Individuals Seeking Extensions/Change of Status Special relief is available to individuals who were unable to file…
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! In this post, we bring you the latest immigration news for the week. USCIS Temporarily Closing Offices to the Public March 18-April 1 to Reduce Spread of COVID 19 In response to the widespread COVID 19 pandemic, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has…
In this post, we will discuss Form DS-5540, a mandatory public charge questionnaire that must be completed by all foreign nationals seeking an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad and some non-immigrant visa applicants. What is Form DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire? Shortly after the publication of the…
In light of the global Coronavirus pandemic, on March 11, 2020, the President signed a presidential proclamation suspending and limiting the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present within the Schengen Area (most EU states) during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United…
Great news for FY 2021 H-1B registrants! USCIS has published step-by-step video instructions showing you how you can submit an electronic registration on the USCIS website without the use of an attorney or representative. It is not too late to register. The registration period closes noon ET on March 20,…
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! In this blog post we cover the latest immigration news of the week. USCIS Launches Online Form to Report Fraud On March 3rd USCIS announced the launch of a new online form available on the USCIS website that can be used to report suspected immigration fraud…
H-1B season has officially kicked off! The new mandatory H-1B electronic registration system for fiscal year 2021 opened yesterday at noon ET on March 1, 2020 and will remain open until noon ET on March 20, 2020. In order to have a chance of being selected, from now on all…
Applying for adjustment of status just became a lot more difficult. After announcing the nationwide implementation of the final rule “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds” on February 24, 2020, USCIS unveiled a brand-new form (Form I-944) that must be filed with all applications for adjustment of status postmarked on or…
On February 21, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States by a vote of 5-4 stayed the remaining statewide injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which prevented the government from enforcing the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds rule also known as the…
In this blog post, we discuss visa bulletin trends and projections for the month of March. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently released the March 2020 Visa Bulletin revealing some good and bad news for employment based categories and family preference categories. Adjustment of Status Filing Charts March 2020:…