On February 3, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rescinded PM-602-0142, “Rescission of the December 22, 2000 ‘Guidance memo on H-1B computer related positions.’ ” USCIS said its officers should not apply the rescinded memo “to any pending or new requests for H-1B classification, including motions and appeals of revocations and denials of H-1B classification,” and that further guidance is forthcoming.
USCIS explained that on December 16, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a decision in Innova Solutions v. Baran, where the court overturned USCIS’s denial of an H-1B nonimmigrant visa petition as arbitrary and capricious. The court’s opinion noted that while USCIS did not explicitly rely on PM-602-0142, the denial followed its logic. To ensure “consistent adjudications across the H-1B program, USCIS is rescinding PM-602-0142,” the new USCIS policy memorandum said.
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