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WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will honor Presidents Day by welcoming approximately 5,000 new U.S.

We are aware that some attorneys and accredited representatives who recently filed the current version of the G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, may have received a courtesy copy instead of an original document. This occurred because we recently made necessary system changes to incorporate the new features that appear on the revised Form G-28. Release of the new Form G-28 has been temporarily delayed and, as a result, is not yet available for public use.

Justice Dept. released a flyer, “How Employers Can Avoid Discrimination in the Form I-9 and E-Verify Processes,” which provides guidance in completing Form I-9 and E-Verify processes.    

Please check attached document for information.

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced today that, effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. DHS amended the regulations to allow these H-4 dependent spouses to accept employment in the United States.

This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during April. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status.

To view Visa Bulletin for April  2015 Click Here

The H-2B Program

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.
For more information about the H-2B program, see the link to the left under "H-2B Non-Agricultural Workers." 

On Oct. 29, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule amending its regulations governing when USCIS will

• correspond with,
• issue a notice of decision to, or
• provide documents to

an applicant, petitioner, or requester, and/or an attorney of record or accredited representative.

Applicants must submit biometrics if the applicant is applying or re-registering for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and over 14 years old.

USCIS recently began transferring some casework from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center to balance workloads. The affected casework includes:

• Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence

How You Will Be Affected

If USCIS transferred your case, USCIS will send you a transfer notice. Your original receipt number will not change and the transfer will not delay the processing of your case. Please note:

The United States will begin issuing visas in accordance with a new reciprocal arrangement on November 12, 2014. Chinese applicants who qualify for a B-category nonimmigrant visa (NIV) may now be issued multiple-entry visas for up to 10 years for business and tourist travel. Qualified Chinese students and exchange visitors and their dependents who qualify for F, M, or J-category visas are now eligible for multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years or the length of their program. U.S.

On Nov.12, USCIS will make Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, temporarily available in the

Effective immediately, the reciprocity schedule for Chinese nationals is revised for the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, M-1, and M-2 nonimmigrant visa (NIV) categories. All other visa validities for nationals of China will remain unchanged. 

For the Reciprocity Schedule please click here.

The National Visa Center (NVC) will cease collecting original civil documents in support of immigrant visa (IV) applications as of November 12, 2014. Most applicants will be required to submit photocopies of supporting documents (such as birth, marriage, and police certificates) and will be instructed to take their original documents to their interviews for review. This does not include Affidavit of Support forms, which petitioners will still submit to NVC for initial evaluation. 

Special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorize U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expedite the application and naturalization process for current members of the U.S. armed forces and recently discharged servicemembers. Generally, qualifying military service includes service with one of the following: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard. In addition, spouses of members of the U.S. armed forces who are or will be deployed may be eligible for expedited naturalization.