U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Contact Center Tip Sheet on how to communicate effectively with the USCIS Contact Center and outlines the use of online self-help tools and inquiry channels to ensure the best use of live telephone assistance.
The USCIS Contact Center Tip Sheet provides guidance on:
Discussion Topics:
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USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form: Authorization for Credit Card Transactions 11/15/2021 03:24 PM EST You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. For more information, please visit Forms Updates page. |
Number 60
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during December 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.
I have reviewed the recent lawsuit settlement where the USCIS has agreed to consider H-4 holders to be eligible to continue working while their timely filed EAD extension is pending. Unfortunately, the settlement seems to state that the right to work is only co-extensive with your I-94 duration. Therefore, you do not have the right to continue working for 180 days; only till your I-94 expires. While it is better than nothing, the settlement is not everything that we would like to see.
| Processing Queue | Priority Date |
|---|---|
| Analyst Review | June 2021 |
| Audit Review | January 2021 |
| Reconsideration Request to the CO | June 2021 |
Release Date
11/12/2021
USCIS is planning to open a new facility in Elgin, Illinois, next year to expand the lockbox capability.
We assisted a client company in filing an EB-2-based PERM. The submitted ETA Form 9089 was selected for an audit by DOL. They requested evidence/explanation as to why only the specified combination of a higher degree and significant years of experience were required, beyond the normal requirements defined by O*Net, a source of occupational data often cited by the government.
We successfully responded to an H-1B request for evidence (RFE), questioning the beneficiary’s maintenance of status. The beneficiary’s previous employer (Employer A) had submitted an H-1B extension. While the petition was pending the beneficiary’s nonimmigrant status expired. An RFE was subsequently received by Employer A, and following the filing of a comprehensive RFE response, the petition was denied.
We assisted petitioner, a public accounting firm, in filing an H-1B petition for beneficiary for the position of staff accountant. We received an RFE requesting additional evidence that the position qualified as a specialty occupation by satisfying at least one of the four qualifying criteria for a specialty occupation. In our lengthy response, we argued that the job duties, as detailed in the petition, and as compared with OOH’s job description for staff accountant not only comports with but goes beyond OOH guidance in its uniqueness and complexity.
We filed an H-1B extension for a specialized medical practice on behalf of a physician who had completed a fellowship in this specialty. We subsequently received a Request for Evidence questioning whether his position satisfied the requirements for a specialty occupation and questioning his current immigration status.
We were approached by an employer in the health and wellness industry to respond to an RFE (Request for Evidence) for an Operations Research Analyst. The RFE indicated that the job duties were vague, and did not allow Service to ascertain the minimum requirements for the position, or determine whether it constituted a specialty occupation. We responded with considerable detail, elaborating on the job duties and providing considerable context about the employer and the strict FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations that they are required to operate under.
We assisted an employer in successfully responding to a Request for Evidence (RFE) received subsequent to the filing of an H-1B (specialty occupation worker) extension petition. The RFE requested additional information regarding the employer and the beneficiary’s qualifications. More specifically, the RFE questioned the evidentiary value of an education evaluation that was provided with the petition, requesting additional evidence regarding the qualifications of the college official who authored the evaluation.
In this case we assisted a client whose employee, with a valid H-1 visa stamped in this passport, traveled outside the U.S. and was unable to return due to the COVID 19 travel restrictions. We prepared a comprehensive letter with details about the petitioning employer, the specific project that the employee would be assigned to, and the urgency of the employee’s presence in the U.S., to the consulate requesting consideration under the National Interest Exception (NIE) for business travel to the U.S. for vital support of the U.S.
In this case our client retained us to respond to a Request for Evidence (RFE) that he had received for the I-130 that was filed on his behalf by his sister. There were two issues identified in the RFE: 1. His birth registration certificate was registered more than two decades after the client’s birth. Service requested we provide the oldest documentation available that would establish a sibling relationship between the petitioner and the beneficiary; and 2.
We assisted a client company, who develops its own software products and provides related consulting services in filing an H-1B petition to employ a software developer. An RFE was issued requesting additional information regarding the employer, and additional documentation to show that the beneficiary was engaged in a valid curricular practical training (CPT) and was maintaining a full course study in a master’s degree program at a U.S. university at the time of filing.