PERM Processing Times (as of 11/30/2018)
USCIS has issued a policy memorandum (PDF, 115 KB) (PM) providing guidance to USCIS officers on when to consider waiving the interview requirement for Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This PM goes into effect on December 10, 2018 and applies to all Form I-751 petitions received on or after December 10.
USCIS transferred some of the following cases from the Vermont Service Center to the Texas Service Center, Nebraska Service Center, California Service Center, and Potomac Service Center:
For more information, see Workload Transfer Updates page.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2019.
Dec. 6, 2018, was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2019. USCIS will reject new cap-subject H-2B petitions received after Dec. 6 that request an employment start date before April 1, 2019.
SAVE continues to implement enhancements to improve your experience and reduce burdensome processes by giving you more self-service options. For example, you’ll soon be able to reset your password automatically instead of contacting SAVE.
Visa Bulletin For January 2019
Number 25
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
Discussion Topics:
Marrying a Canadian and bring them to USA || I Apply for a NIW through EB2 || COS to L-1A || Can any company revoke I-140 after 180 days || H-1 transfer || 3 year H-1B extension || Fiance visa || H4 EAD and starting a business || EB3 to EB2 porting of priority dates
Are you seeking to adjust your status and become a U.S. permanent resident under a family-sponsored or employment-based preference immigrant visa? If you have not yet had a relative or employer file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf, please learn more about the Adjustment of Status Filing Process.
Effective immediately, the categorical CNMI parole programs are terminated. This affects USCIS parole programs for immediate relatives of U.S.
Important Notice: Effective April 1, 2018, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi will no longer process IR5, IR1, IR2, CR1, or CR2 visas. The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai will be your interview location if you are in process for an IR5 ( parent of a U.S. citizen), IR1/CR1 visa (spouse of a U.S. citizen) or IR2/CR2 visa (unmarried minor child of a U.S. citizen), AND your interview is scheduled on or after April 1, 2018. Your letter from the National Visa Center will specify the location of your interview, along with further details about interview preparation.
Starting April 2, USCIS will destroy Permanent Resident Cards, Employment Authorization Cards and Travel Documents returned as undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service after 60 business days if USCIS is not contacted by the document’s intended recipient to provide the correct address.
USCIS encourages applicants to report a change of address within 10 days of relocation using the procedures outlined at uscis.gov/addresschange.
PERM Processing Times (as of 03/31/2018)
April 03, 2018
Washington
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today ordered further review of the 2016 petition for recognition by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). The review is a direct result of action by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia remanding the case to the Secretary.
“As the court ordered, we will fairly consider all of the facts presented and make an appropriate determination on ACICS’s petition,” said DeVos.
Any lawful permanent resident (LPR) or a conditional resident (CR) must present an admission document like special immigrant visa (obtained at consulate abroad), green card or reentry permit upon entry to the U.S. after their temporary trip abroad. In the absence of such document he/she is considered inadmissible. If the LPR or CR seeks admission to the U.S. after more than one year since her departure from USA, the green card may not be sufficient to allow them back into the United States.
USCIS has reached the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2019. USCIS has also received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap.
The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not prohibited multiple filings.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the launch of the new website, E-Verify.gov. This is the authoritative source for information on electronic employment eligibility verification. E-Verify.gov is for employers, employees and the general public.
USCIS has received petitions for more than the number of visas available for fiscal year (FY) 2019 for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) program. The cap for CW-1 visas for FY 2019 is 4,999.
As a result, USCIS will be conducting a lottery to ensure that it does not exceed the CW-1 cap. USCIS will randomly select petitions received between April 2, 2018 and April 13, 2018. If USCIS receives your petition after April 13, it will be rejected and will not be considered for this lottery.
On April 11, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2019.
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
Update to Form G-325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action); dated 03/29/1804/12/2018 12:00 AM EDTUpdate to Form G-325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action); dated 03/29/18For more information, please visit Forms Updates page.
Discussion Topics: - AOS status through EB3 category - E2 Visa (Visa for Australian Citizens only) with spouse on E2D (E2 Dependent) with work not allowed - Dependant EAD (C36) - NOID in H1B-Extension - carrying green card while going to office, shopping, library etc.
USCIS sometimes transfers cases between the five service centers in order to balance workload and promote timely processing.
USCIS on April 16, 2018 transferred some of the Form I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver from the Nebraska Service Center to the Potomac Service Center.
For more details on Workload Transfer Updates please visit this link: https://www.uscis.gov/workload-transfers