Immigration Updates

Effective March 18 all non-detained hearings postponed; these immigration courts closed: ATL Peachtree; Charlotte; HOU Gessner; Louisville; Memphis; NYC, Broadway & Fed Plaza; Newark; Sacramento; LOS – Olive. Check website for up DOJ Website at https://www.justice.gov/eoir/eoir-operational-status-during-coronavirus-pandemic

IMMIGRATION ALERT The world is confronting the potentially deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary reports from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that the virus is primarily spread between people who are in close contact. The virus can also be spread before people show symptoms. The virus can remain alive on surfaces–such as court tables–for days.…

Below is the guidance we have received for visitation of detainees. ========================================= Effective March 13, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will temporarily suspend social visitation at all its detention facilities until further notice in order to mitigate the for potential transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Unless and until it is determined to…

“H-1B Registration with INSZoom” Feature Release U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 20. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out prospective…

The past year has arguably been the Trump administration’s most successful one in its quest to restrict asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, overhaul the nation’s legal immigration system, crack down on undocumented immigrants, alter America’s status as a safe haven for refugees and challenge decades of bipartisan consensus that robust immigration is key to America’s…

USCIS Implements $10 Fee for H-1B Visa Registration Release Date: Nov. 7, 2019 The H-1B visa is one of the most critical U.S. work visas as it allows certain professionals performing in a specialty occupation to obtain a 3-year work visa that can be renewed up to six years. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service…

Release Date: Dec. 10, 2019 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced new policy guidance implementing two decisions from the attorney general regarding how two or more DUI convictions affect good moral character (GMC) requirements and how post-sentencing changes to criminal sentences affect convictions and sentences for immigration purposes. On Oct. 25, the attorney general…

Release Date: Nov. 20, 2019 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reached the congressionally mandated cap on H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of fiscal year 2020. Nov. 15 was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2020. USCIS will…

On November 14, 2019, the Trump Administration published two proposed rules that will detrimentally impact individuals who are seeking to legally live and work in the United States. One would adjust USCIS’s fees by a weighted average increase of 21 percent, add new fees, and make other changes. 2. DHS proposed rule which would make…

What does love mean for couples who are in long-distance relationships halfway around the globe? For couples in long-distance relationships, love usually means one of them moves to the United States to take the relationship to the next level. This move is made possible through the K visa, which allows a U.S. citizen (USC) to…