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Rajiv's News Clips - Bad news for H-1B visa holders: Trump administration advances process to scrap work permit for spouses

However, even if this proposal goes through, it would take a while for it to take effect. "The process is currently at the second last stage. Once it is approved here, it will be posted in the federal register and people will have 30 or 60 days to post comments, following which the regulation will be made final," Rajiv S. Khanna, managing attorney at immigration law firm Immigration.com, told the Economic Times. The administration is obligated to comment before publishing and implementing the final rule, a process that could take as much as a year, he added.

Rajiv's News Clips - US govt starts process to ban work permits for spouses

Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at immigration law firm Immigration.com, said it could take as much as a year for the visa programme to get scrapped. "The process is currently at the second last stage. Once it is approved here, it will be posted in the federal register and people will have 30 or 60 days to post comments, following which the regulation will be made final," said Khanna. The administration is obligated to comment before publishing and implementing the final rule, a process that could take several months, he added.

Rajiv's News Clips - Donald Trump’s agenda: New rule to rescind spouse’s right to rescind spouse’s right to work out in May

“The term speciality occupation is defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act, so a definition change cannot be brought about by mere agency regulation,” Rajiv S. Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com told TOI. 

“Unfortunately, the definitions of employment and employer-employee relationship are not provided in the statute. That definition can be tinkered with. But to what degree it can be redefined remains to be seen,” he adds. 

USCIS Accelerates Transition to Digital Immigration Processing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced a new strategy known as eProcessing to accelerate USCIS’ transition to a digital business model. eProcessing will be a complete digital experience, from applying for a benefit, to communicating with USCIS, through receiving a decision on a case.

Rajiv's News Clips - Indians in US scramble to get citizenship ahead of president polls

Added to the backlog woes is the spike in denials of naturalization applications "The grounds for denial are unpredictable, they could even relate to errors made when obtaining H-1B visas or green cards. This adds to the uncertainty," said Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com.  " An entrepreneur had sponsored a green card for an employee without mentioning that he was a distant relative. He thought it was immaterial as the relationship was so distant. Today, this entrepreneur is unable to become a US citizen," Khanna said.