Great news for Polish nationals. Effective November 11, 2019, Polish nationals may travel to the United without a visa, using only their Polish passports and an approved ESTA. Back on October 31st the Department of Homeland Security designated Poland as a country eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program.…
Visa Lawyer Blog
USCIS Publishes Rule to Increase Fees for Certain Petitions
On November 14, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register to increase immigration fees for certain petitions. After publication, the proposal will be open for a 30-day comment period. After that point the agency will review public comments and draft…
This Week in Immigration News: H-1B Registration Fee Applies Beginning FY 2021, Automatic Extension of TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan
In this post, we discuss the latest developments in U.S. immigration news. As you may recall, back in September USCIS issued a proposed rule requiring petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions to pay a $10 registration fee for each petition submitted to USCIS for the H-1B cap selection process, beginning with…
BREAKING: Oregon Judge Blocks Presidential Proclamation Suspending the Entry of Immigrants Financially Burdening the Healthcare System
In the latest blow to President Trump’s embattled Presidency, on November 2nd federal judge Michael Simon issued a preliminary injunction blocking the government from enforcing the President’s Proclamation issued on October 4, 2019, suspending the entry of any immigrant who will “financially burden the United States healthcare system.” Judge Simon’s…
Immigrant Visa Applicants Must Show Evidence of Adequate Health Care Coverage or Financial Resources Beginning November 3rd
The President has once again targeted the immigrant population by signing a Presidential Proclamation suspending the entry of any immigrant who will “financially burden the United States healthcare system.” While the Presidential Proclamation is likely to encounter resistance in court, as it stands the Proclamation is slated to become effective…
DOS Publishes 60-Day Notice of Public Charge Questionnaire for Immigrant Visa Applicants
As previously reported, the government has issued a new final rule in the Federal Register entitled “Visas: Ineligibility Based on Public Charge Grounds,” giving consular officials wide discretion to deny immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications on public charge grounds. In line with this new rule, today October 24, 2019, the…
Consular Officers Given Wide Discretionary Power to Deny Visas on Public Charge Grounds
In its latest act of defiance against the judicial branch, the Trump administration has published an Interim Final Rule entitled “Visas: Ineligibility Based on Public Charge Grounds,” designed to give Consular officers wider discretion to deny immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to applicants on public charge grounds based on a variety…
Federal Judge Orders USCIS to Resolve Backlogged FOIAs within 60 days
A new lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California now allows Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applicants to challenge long standing delays in receiving their immigration records from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The U.S. District Court has certified two class action lawsuits allowing FOIA applicants…
BREAKING: Three Federal Judges Block Enforcement of Public Charge Rule
On Friday October 11, 2019, three Federal courts in California, New York, and Washington issued three temporary injunctions blocking the Trump administration from enforcing the Public Charge rule on a nationwide basis, which was set to go into effect on October 15, 2019. The decision to block the government from…
How to Prepare Your Business for an ICE Raid
Are you a small business owner? What would you do if immigration agents came to your workplace? You may have heard about the recent increase in immigration raids all over the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been targeting undocumented immigrants not just at home but also…