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USCIS Clarifies Anti-Discrimination Policy
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced agency-wide anti-discrimination guidance that addresses public-facing interactions and affirms the public service principles.
DACA Renewal Processing Times
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is committed to timely adjudicating DACA renewal requests.
The Practical Lawyer Editorial Board Member Rajiv S. Khanna's Conversation With Tara Gonsowski
This article is part of the continuing series of interviews between The Practical Lawyer Editorial Board Member Rajiv S. Khanna and leading practitioners across the country, designed to provide personal and professional insights into various areas of the law.
Read more by clicking the pdf attachment.
REMINDER: H-1B Initial Registration Period Closes March 22, 2024
The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap closes at noon Eastern on March 22, 2024. During this period, prospective petitioners and legal representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary. Online account users will also be able to collaborate on registrations and petitions with enhanced organizational account features in their online accounts.
USCIS Extends Initial Registration Period for FY 2025 H-1B Cap
Release Date
03/21/2024
USCIS has extended the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap. The initial registration period, which opened at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024, and was originally scheduled to run through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024, will now run through noon Eastern on March 25, 2024. USCIS is aware of a temporary system outage experienced by some registrants, and is extending the registration period to provide additional time due to this issue.
USCIS Updates Policy Guidance Clarifying Expedite Requests
USCIS is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify how USCIS considers expedite requests related to government interests and requests related to emergencies or urgent humanitarian situations, including travel-related requests. This update also clarifies how to make an expedited request and explains how USCIS processes expedited requests.
Government Interests
New Citizens Will Be Able to Seamlessly Request Social Security Updates
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that, starting April 1, applicants filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, will have the option to request an original or replacement Social Security number (SSN) or card and update their immigration status with the Social Security Administration (SSA) without having to visit an SSA office.
New Version of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
What You Need to Know
On April 1, 2024, as part of the new fee rule, USCIS will release a new version of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The new version of the form changes many data elements, including adding a gender X option as another gender identity and removing several other fields.
Q Cultural Exchange
There are two nonimmigrant visa categories for persons who want to participate in Exchange Visitor programs in the United States. The J nonimmigrant classification is for participants of exchange programs, designated by the Department of State, that are designed to promote educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries. The Q nonimmigrant classification is for participants of international cultural exchange programs designated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Nonimmigrant Visas
EB1 - Outstanding Researcher
We won this case for the applicant based on his exceptional research record evident by his numbers of publications and invited presentations. At the time of filing, the applicant's research work had been cited over 100 times which is indicative of the high-quality, highly regarded work that he does. Referees noted that this applicant was one of the very small percentage of scientists who achieve the highest level of success in their given field.
Profession/Occupation
EB2 - National Interest Wavier (Physician in Medically Underserved Area
We won a case for National Interest Waiver for a Physician working in a medically underserved area. We provided a five year contract, copy of his J-1 Waiver approval, numerous experience letters, a letter from the Department of State and documentation to reflect statistics of health professional shortage in the area.
Profession/Occupation
Green Card
EB2 - National Interest Waiver
We won this case as the applicant was noted to be a critical component to the success of various projects and had a very large impact on the research program. Referees described this applicant's talents to be rare and difficult to replace by U.S. workers. Her original and pioneering research made her uniquely qualified to further this intrinsically important research which greatly effected the nation as a whole.
Profession/Occupation
Green Card
EB1 - Outstanding Researcher/Professor
We won this case for the applicant who had over twelve years research and teaching experience. He was considered a critical component to the success of his current project. At the time of filing, the applicant had over 22 publications in prestigious, international scholarly journals. The applicant's significant contributions had been cited by other renowned researchers in his field. His Ph.D. work was highly regarded and noted to be admired by several leading experts.
Profession/Occupation
EB1 - Outstanding Researcher
This applicant had over twelve years of research experience. We noted the applicant's international reputation in the fourteen recommendation letters submitted. The applicant was a member of a prestigious professional society membership of which requires noted achievements in the field. We provided evidence of the extensive presentations the applicant made due to his level of expertise in the field.