Number 42
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during June 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.
Published by : The Times of India - Date: June 19, 2020
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:
“This is a welcome recognition of how foreign students help form the edge through which we are leading the world in technology,” said Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at law firm Immigration.com. “It asks to maintain the OPT which is important as there have been calls to remove or weaken it,” Khanna said.
For more details please see the attachment below.
Discussion topics, June 11, 2020 FAQs:
Change in job roles while green card is pending || H-1B Working for multiple clients through the same consulting company || H-1B taking unpaid leave: COVID, Status, maternity/paternity
OTHER: Switching from G-4 to F-1 student visa while being inside the US.|| Cross-chargeability || J1 to F-1 Visa || Laid off on H1B || H1 to H4EAD || B1 visa extension || Furloughed on H-1B
WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced another extension of the flexibilities in rules related to Form I-9 compliance that was granted earlier this year.
USCIS announced that it will automatically extend parole, and employment authorization if applicable, for certain aliens present in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This specific extension of parole will apply only to current parolees whose parole status will expire on June 29, 2020.
On May 14, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published an interim final rule (IFR) implementing the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018.
Number 43
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during July 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.
Published by : The Times of India - Date: June 19, 2020
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv on the article:
Published by : The Times of India - Date: June 23, 2020
In the light of today’s proclamation, Rajiv Khanna, managing attorney of Immigration.com explained to TOI, “Once their H-1B applications are approved, these employees will not be able to join in October, but will have to wait, as this ban lasts until the end of the year."
For more details please see the attachment below.
On June 26, the Texas Service Center will move to a new address. Although the move is scheduled for June 26, USCIS cannot accept mail at the new address until Monday, June 29. The new facility will help streamline processes by consolidating operations in the new location. The Texas Service Center will continue to provide prompt and efficient service in processing requests for immigration benefits. The updated address for the service center will be:
Texas Service Center
6046 N Belt Line Rd.
Irving, TX 75038-0001
Published by : The Economic Times - Date: June 23, 2020
“This proclamation reflects the politics of the moment than any cogent policy,” said Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at law firm Immigration.com. He pointed out that the L1 visa was for intra-company transfers, not a position that a company would hire for locally in the US.
For more details please see the attachment below.
Published by : The Economic Times - Date: June 24, 2020
FAQs: Religious Worker Visa, premises still under construction || Students aging out of H-4 || Lawsuit against status denial for CPT users || AC21 portability Supplement J || L-1 and entrepreneurial H-1B || 60 days grace period of H-1B getting over - F-1 option || Need to amend H-1B for remote work from home || Part time H-1B || Doing business on OPT
OTHER: IR5 Green Card traveling separately || H-1B Quota exemption || Reentry Permit obligations || H-1B change of status || CSPA for child of EB-1A petitioner || 212(e) waivers for J-1 holders || I-140 withdrawal || H-4 EAD processing times ||
We filed an L-1A for a managerial level employee seeking a second two year extension of the beneficiary’s classification as a nonimmigrant intracompany transferee (L-1A) to enable the beneficiary to continue in his position as Director-Product Engineering, a position he had held since the approval of the initial petition. Subsequent to filing the petition we received a Request for Evidence (RFE). We responded and the petition was then approved.
Starting June 29, 2020, petitioners residing in certain states must file the following forms at the Nebraska Service Center, instead of the Vermont Service Center:
This Update provides helpful hints for U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens on when to change your address with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and do it.
Changing an address with the various Federal immigration components can be confusing, and failure to properly make an address change can lead to denials and other adverse immigration consequences. The Ombudsman's Office encourages immigration benefits applicants and petitioners to promptly notify U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and/or the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) of any change in address. Mail forwarding is not always rapid or reliable.
A recruiting firm for accountants retained our services to file an H-1B petition for a recruiter. Typically, it is difficult to justify that the position of a recruiter qualifies as an H-1B level occupation. Our petition to USCIS argued, however, that even though recruiters do not generally qualify as a specialty level occupation, the present case is different because the beneficiary will be hired as an International Accounting/Finance Recruiter.
USCIS requires applicants and petitioners for certain immigration benefits to be fingerprinted for the purpose of conducting FBI criminal background checks. To better ensure both the quality and integrity of the process, USCIS processes fingerprint cards for immigration benefits only if an authorized fingerprint site prepares them. Authorized fingerprint sites include USCIS offices, Application Support Centers (ASCs), and U.S. consular offices and military installations abroad. In general, USCIS schedules people to be fingerprinted at an authorized fingerprint site after an application or petition is filed. USCIS charges a set fee per person (for most applicants) at the time of filing for this fingerprinting service. Please check the instructions on your Immigration application or petition form to find out if you must be fingerprinted.
The following three points apply for all immigration benefits applications (see exceptionsbelow) requiring an FD-258 fingerprint check filed with USCIS after March 29, 1998:
Applicants and petitioners residing abroad who are fingerprinted at a United States consular or military installation abroad do not need to be fingerprinted by USCIS and are exempt from the fingerprint fee. These applicants and petitioners must file their completed card at the time their application or petition is filed.
The following forms are subject to exceptions to the above requirements.
To find the Application Support Centers (ASCs) closest to you, see the "USCIS Service and Office Locator" page. You can also call our toll free number at 1-800-375-5283.
Related links
Safety & Security of U.S. Borders: Biometrics
Fingerprints & Other Biometrics
Identification Record Request/Criminal Background Check
Upgrade to 10-Fingerprint Collection
Biometrics -DHS