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As I had said in our last community conference call, our office inquired. A USCIS officer advised not to submit medicals without an RFE. He said wait for the RFE or bring them to the interview. 

Release Date 

04/27/2021

USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual instructing officers to give deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension requests involving the same parties and facts unless there was a material error, material change, or new material facts.

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: April 28, 2021 

Synopsis

New or Initial F and M students who were not previously enrolled in a program of study on March 9, 2020, will not be able to enter the United States as a nonimmigrant student for the 2021-22 academic year if their course of study is 100 percent online.

For more on this article please see the attachment below.

Published by: The Times of India  - Date: April 28, 2021

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:

Rajiv S. Khanna, Managing Attorney at Immigration.com told TOI, “Business entities make plans based on consistency and predictability – not being able to rely on the availability of professional workers was not conducive to business nor to non-citizen workers.”

USCIS recently updated the following forms:

Document Verification Request Supplement

04/08/2021 07:54 AM EDT

Starting June 28, 2021, USCIS will only accept the 04/08/21 edition. Until then, you can also use the 05/29/18 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Verification Request

04/08/2021 07:36 AM EDT

6 May 2021

As of today, there are no updates from the government beyond what was on the US Consulate website

On 30 April 2021, President Biden placed a restriction on travel to the US.

Visa Services Operating Status Update from DOS

Last Updated: April 6, 2021

Release Date 

04/12/2021

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories:

Published by: The Times of India  - Date: April 17, 2021

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:

USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):

Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition

12/21/2020 11:22 AM EST

Starting June 18, 2021, USCIS will only accept the 12/21/20 edition. Until then, you can use the 12/23/16 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative

12/21/2020 09:45 AM EST

ICE updated its list of Student and Exchange Visitor Program approved schools.

Release Date 

04/01/2021

USCIS confirmed that for all forms it has reverted to the form rejection criteria it applied before October 2019 regarding blank responses.

In 2019, USCIS changed the form rejection criteria for:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19.

This temporary guidance was set to expire March 31. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID-19, DHS has extended the Form I-9 flexibility policy an additional 60 days until May 31, 2021.

This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during May for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.