Latest News

USCIS Announces P.L. 111-230 Expiration and H-1B/L-1 Employers No Longer Need to Pay the Special Fees

H-1B and L-1 petitions filed on or after Oct. 1, 2015, should not include the additional fee that was previously required by Section 402 of Public Law 111-230, as amended by Public Law 111-347, for certain H-1B and L-1 petitions. The additional fee required by Public Law 111-230, as amended, expired on Sept. 30, 2015.

DHS to Create Filipino WWII Veterans Parole Program

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is creating a parole program to allow certain family members of Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans to receive parole to come to the United States.  This parole program was announced in November 2014 by President Obama and Secretary Johnson as part of the executive actions on immigration and is detailed in the White House report, 

Instructions for the 2017 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2017)

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered annually by the Department of State. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For Fiscal Year 2017, 50,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program. Applicants who are selected in the program (“selectees”) must meet simple, but strict, eligibility requirements in order to qualify for a diversity visa.

Visa Bulletin For October 2015 (Revised)

This bulletin supersedes the bulletin for October 2015 that was originally published on September 9, 2015, and contained Dates for Filing Applications long used by the Department of State for internal processing purposes. Following consultations with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Dates for Filing Applications for some categories in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based preferences have been adjusted to better reflect a timeframe justifying immediate action in the application process. The Dates for Filing Applications sections (sections 4.B.

USCIS Guidance on Payment of N-400 Application Fee with a Credit Card

You may pay for your N-400, Application for Naturalization, using a credit card. There is no additional fee to pay with your credit card. The N-400 is the only form that can be paid for by credit card using the G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction

Acceptable Credit Cards

You may use Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. You may also use gift cards with Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover logos.

USCIS Suspends Final Adjudication of Employment-Based Adjustment Applications for the Remainder of FY 2015

Starting today, USCIS will suspend final adjudication of employment-based Form I-485 applications (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) because the Department of State reports that the statutory cap has been reached for the employment-based preference categories for fiscal year (FY) 2015.

This suspension applies to all employment-based adjustment applications pending with USCIS through September 30, 2015 (the remainder of FY2015).

USCIS to Welcome More Than 36,000 Citizens During Annual Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Celebrations

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is launching new efforts to highlight U.S. citizenship and immigrant civic integration to celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. These initiatives will also improve customer service and support aspiring citizens on their path to naturalization.