USCIS has released policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to provide direction on international entrepreneur parole. The new guidance applies to applications filed on or after March 10, 2023, and is effective immediately. The guidance is aimed at increasing entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in the United States. The public has until April 10, 2023, to submit comments on…
Starting from March 15, 2023, USCIS has eliminated the requirement for submitting biometrics and the accompanying $85 fee for those filing Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor. This means that petitioners are no longer required to pay the fee for biometrics services while submitting their Form I-526E. USCIS has already received approximately 980 Form I-526E petitions with the…
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has issued a practice alert regarding filing fee processing and receipt delays at the Vermont Service Center (VSC). USCIS has acknowledged that the delays are due to high filing volumes and intake delays. However, USCIS’ Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS) expects improvements in fee receipting and data entry functions within the next 30 days.…
The United States and Canada have reportedly reached an agreement allowing both countries to turn back unauthorized asylum seekers who cross the northern border, according to internal documents and a source familiar with the negotiations. The new policy, which applies to non-citizens caught within 14 days of crossing the border, is the latest expansion of President Biden’s efforts to deter…
The world is currently experiencing an imbalance in birth rates, with some countries facing an aging population and others facing a youth bubble. This could lead to an unsustainable social contract in which the young support the old. Developmental economist Lant Pritchett suggests that immigration could offset the economic consequences of global demographic changes, as there are a billion people…
USCIS has stated that the flexibilities put in place in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end on March 23, 2023. The agency had previously indicated on January 24, 2023 that, barring any further pandemic-related changes, the extension of these flexibilities announced in January would be the final one. Remzi Guvenc Kulen, Esq. Kulen Law…
The USCIS has revealed that F-1 students who are waiting for Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields who have applied for an extension of their OPT and are waiting for approval on their Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, can now apply for premium processing. The online filing of Form I-907,…
The following is a summary of some of the key points in the article “AILA Liaison Questions and NVC Responses on Document Review and Visa Scheduling” published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in February 2023: The National Visa Center (NVC) confirmed that it completed 343,277 documentarily complete cases in FY2022, compared to 342,392 in FY2021. As of 27…
DOS posted the visa bulletin for March 2023. USCIS determined that for March 2023, all family-sponsored preference categories and all employment-based preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart in the visa bulletin. According to March 2023 visa bulletin, visa numbers will still be current for Second preference (F2A) – spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age)…
USCIS announced that it is extending flexibilities previously announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to certain agency requests in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies if the issuance date listed on the request, notice, or decision is between March 1, 2020, and March 23, 2023. This includes Requests for Evidence, Notice…
