Published by: The Economic Times: August 01, 2022
Question: I have been in the U.S since 2017, and my F1 visa expires this month due to the 5 year validity period.
Answer: First of all, unless you are traveling, you do not have to renew your visa. If the visa expires while you're still completing your course, it's absolutely no problem.
Read more by clicking the link below or the pdf attachment.
Release Date
08/02/2022
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is publishing an update to its Policy Manual to clarify that a current or former service member who received an uncharacterized discharge may be eligible for naturalization under sections 328 and 329 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA).
USCIS recently updated the lockbox filing location information for the following form(s). Please see the “Where to File” section of the webpage for your form.
| Processing Queue | Priority Date |
|---|---|
| Analyst Review | December 2021 |
| Audit Review | October 2021 |
| Reconsideration Request to the CO | March 2022 |
Discussion Topics
FAQs: Changing profession after receiving Employment Based Green Card || Eligibility for the EB-1A extraordinary ability category || The H-1B remainder option: Calculating recapture of H-1B unused time ||
Number 69
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during September 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.
Discussion Topics, Aug 18, 2022
FAQs: Change of employers after H-1B is approved and before October 1; the number of pay stubs required; revocation of H-1B before October 1 || I-140 was approved and then revoked in 2011. Can I keep my priority date and also apply for I-485? What is the deadline for filing I-485? || Impact of alternate wage survey for H-1B LCA; the success rates of H-1B extensions; AC21 rule when the company is bought by a successor-in-interest
Published by: The Times Of India: August 22, 2022
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
According to Rajiv S Khanna, Managing Attorney at Immigration.com, “There may not be a second H-1B lottery this year. The USCIS has electronically issued several ‘non-selection’ notices, which is a step taken only when there will be no more lotteries.”
For more on this news please see the attachment.
Release Date
08/23/2022
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2023.
USCIS has completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts. The status for registrations properly submitted for the FY 2023 H-1B numerical allocations, but that were not selected, will now show:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) final rule, which has been posted for public inspection on the Federal Register’s website. The final rule generally codifies existing policies with limited amendments to preserve and fortify DACA.
Release Date
08/30/2022
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to reorganize and expand on existing guidance related to special immigrant and nonimmigrant religious workers.
This update reorganizes the special immigrant religious worker guidance for clarity and provides more comprehensive information about the special immigrant religious worker filing process, verification of evidence, and the site-inspection process.
My wife's EAD application is pending at VSC for more than 4 months now. On 91st day (Which happened to be a Wednesday), we reached Arlington office at 1.45pm. They asked us to wait in a room, after a while someone picked up her receipt and gave her a form to fill out. After 30 minutes they asked her to wait in another room after verifying the payment info. She was done by 3.15pm, so I should say it was a painless and quick procedure. She was issued EAD valid for one year.
Today, I went to the local USCIS office at 10 w jackson blvd, and got the IEAD. This office is just outside the Jackson Blue Line Subway station. They opened the doors at 6AM. When they opened the doors, there were around 50 people in the line.
They were asking for EAD, 140 reciepts, IL driving license/state ID or some postal mail to prove that you are IL resident.
Got the IEAD for 3 months. Out by 9AM.
Today I went in because it's 91 days after my I-765 Employment app was processed. I was told to do this after phoning the 1 800 number, they told me go in to the Honolulu office and request an Interim EAD because it had not yet been approved.
When I got there, I was told that it had actually been approved May 16th ( I was also told that when I went to get biometrics the person did not stamp both my letters and do fingprint/photo for the I-765, just the I-485, so I went there again).
was there early in the morning 6am, entered line in orchard st taken inside at 8.00am, to 2nd floor office
- iEAD applications must have a duplicate application prepared with documents. they check before you get in
- make sure you have an address in NJ, they ask proof of residence in NJ to issue your documents, bring DL, utility bill etc to prove that.
- got the card the same day for 8 months,
- they lost our documents, then found them in the 3'rd office where your pictures will be taken
We went and got my wife's interim EAD and walk-in Advance Parole in NYC on 5/25/04. The application has been pending for more than 150 days.
We lined up at 5 AM, got into the building at 7 AM. We went to a room on the 1st floor, where the EAD receipt was checked, we were given a yellow sheet and asked to put the A# and name on it. We then went to the 9th floor, where after waiting for 40 minutes, we received a ticket #. They said it would take a while to do the background check, so we went to the 8th floor to take care of the AP.
We applied for EAD at Vermont. Receipt date was 2/19/2004. But we did not receive our Ead and it was not approved either. On 5/21/2004 we went to NY office, at 5 am, and went inside at 7.30 am( there was no crowd).Submitted the new application at 8.00 am. They made us to wait, telling they were doing the extensive background check until 12.30 and then after a photograph we were issued an EAD for 8 months.
In front of us there was a person whose EAD was lost in the post from Vermont was denied an EAD, asking her to call Vermont and wait.
We filed for an EAD renewal to VSC on Jan 30th 2004. Apparently we did not check how much VSC was back logged. EAD was expiring on 8th of April. When the Employer asked for a renewed EAD, we checked the status & realized the seriousness. We took an appointment with the local Tampa USCIS on March 19th (49th day of filing EAD). We showed all the documents to the officer, she did not allow me to utter a single word. She gave me an appointment for March 24th for Interim EAD. On March 24th Local USCIS issued an interim EAD in 10 mintues for 8 months.
As I got my approval/551 stamp this week, I thought it would be best to share some experience to help others; This may be applicable in Texas and
Atlanta, so read with caution and use accordingly.
Texas SC
485 rcpt date 2/2002
FP done 4/2003
Approved 5/2004
My online status never changed, except when approved (No change during FP etc). This may help some who are worried like me when online status never changed.