USCIS Forms Update Notice
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
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.
The H-1B visa program generally allows a foreign employee to work for a specific sponsoring American employer. As is true in many employment situations, the location of work can change.
Feb 22, 2018, Discussion Topics - 7th year H-1B extension - H-1B approval without I-94
I needed to make an infopass appointment to get my passport stamped in the Dallas, TX Office. After trying to make an appointment for 2 weeks, it occurred to me to research and see if others were experiencing the same thing. I came across this forum and a few others where people posted their experiences and success stories with this crazy infopass appointment system.
Hi everyone I have finally been granted asylum. I filed my case in November of 2014. A lot of people said it will be difficult for me to be granted because I have been travelling in and out of the US for a long time. I have been in and out for a total of six times before filling for asylum.
The SAVE Program provides a fast, secure and efficient verification service for federal, state and local benefit-granting agencies to verify a benefit applicant’s immigration status or naturalized/derived citizenship.
SAVE is administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, and is dedicated to providing program support and customer service to participating agencies.
For more information on this program please visit this link: https://www.uscis.gov/save
This visa category applies to people who wish to perform services in a specialty occupation, services of exceptional merit and ability relating to a Department of Defense (DOD) cooperative research and development project, or services as a fashion model of distinguished merit or ability.
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Visa Category |
General Requirements |
Labor Condition Application Required? |
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H-1B Specialty Occupations |
WASHINGTON— On Feb. 21, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began receiving H-2B cap-subject petitions for the second half of fiscal year 2018.
During the first five business days USCIS received approximately 2,700 H-2B cap-subject petitions requesting approximately 47,000 workers, which is more than the number of H-2B visas available. As a result, USCIS, in accordance with applicable regulations, conducted a lottery on Feb. 28 to randomly select enough petitions to meet the cap.
Hello,
Last Friday I went to the Oath ceremony. It was really nicely done. We had to answer questions before they let us in the ceremony room, for example, if we got a speeding ticket since the interview etc. We had to return the green card and got a seat assignment. The ceremony was held, and we received our certificate. After that we were able to register to vote. Everything was well organized, and it was a great experience.
Work permits expiring March 31 are automatically extended through Sept. 27
Nonimmigrant visa applicants from certain countries/areas of authority may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. These fees are based on the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a reciprocal fee on citizens of that country/area of authority for similar types of visas.
PERM Processing Times (as of 02/28/2018)
This form is used to determine the minimum income requirement needed to sponsor most family-based immigrants and some employment-based immigrants to show that they have adequate means of financial support and are not likely to rely on the U.S. government for financial support.
Click here for the new version of I-864P .
Discussion Topics, Thursday 8 March 2018:
FAQ: Change of status to student F-1 while green card is in process || H-4 EAD termination and converting to H-1B ||If H-1B transfer is denied, can go back to my old employer? || When does AC21 job portability begin? || Can H-1B be extended through a new employer while the I-140 is in process? || Which jobs can qualify for an H-1B visa? || EB-1C for functional managers - overseas team inclusion || The 180 rule for priority dates/H-1B extension || Leave without pay for H-1B / Status
Other: When is an H-1B amendment required? || Errors in H-1B, amendment || L-1A working in multiple countries || Extensions of OPT when there are accreditation issues with college || I-140 approved changing jobs; no pay stubs applying for H-1B || Status of H-4 if H-1 is rejected || H-1B transfer issues where old H-1 revoked || Concurrent H-1B || Duration of H-1B based upon project duration varying through different vendors in the chain of contracts ||
USCIS generally process cases in the order they receive them. The link below provides you an estimate of how much time the office handling your case currently takes to process your type of application, petition, or request.
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.
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
First-time CW-1 Lottery Ensures Fairness to CNMI Employers
On April 2, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting petitions under the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) program subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2019 cap. Employers in the CNMI use the CW-1 program to employ foreign workers who are ineligible for other nonimmigrant worker categories. The cap for CW-1 visas for FY 2019 is 4,999.
Starting April 2, 2018, USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 cap. USCIS will temporarily suspend premium processing for all FY 2019 cap-subject petitions, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher. This suspension is expected to last until Sept. 10, 2018. During this time, USCIS will continue to accept premium processing requests for H-1B petitions that are not subject to the FY 2019 cap.
The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific specialty, or its equivalent. H-1B specialty occupations may include fields such as science, engineering and information technology. For more information , visit
On March 23, 2018, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will launch the SEVP Portal for F-1 students participating in post-completion optional practical training (OPT) and M-1 students participating in practical training.
The portal will allow these F-1 and M-1 students to report personal and employer information directly to SEVP. Through the portal, these students will be able to:
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) launched a pilot to test a redesigned processing times webpage that displays the data for all forms in an easier-to-read format and also tests a new way of collecting data and calculating the processing times for some forms.
The pilot will test four forms using a new automated methodology for calculating processing times. The four forms are: