Ashish Sawhney, of Sterling, Virginia, was arrested on August 20, 2020, on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and for inducing undocumented people to come to the United States using fraudulently obtained H-1B visas. According to court documents, Mr. Sawhney...
Topic: Immigration Articles
State Dept.’s September Visa Bulletin Includes Info on Employment Limit for FY 2020 and DV-2021 Results and Timetable
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for September 2020 includes modest forward movement in the family-based immigration categories. There was no movement in the employment-based preference categories, with the exception of a slight move forward for India and China...
DHS Blasts GAO Report on Invalidity of Appointments of Wolf and Cuccinelli, Demands Rescission; GAO Refuses
Following last week's bombshell report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finding invalid the appointments of Chad Wolf as Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Kenneth Cuccinelli as Senior Official Performing the Duties...
USCIS Reminds F-1 Nonimmigrants in Post-Completion OPT and DSOs of Severe Consequences for Not Entering Employer Info in SEVIS
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder on August 18, 2020, to F-1 nonimmigrant students and their designated school officials (DSOs) that they must update the employer information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System...
Two Lawsuits Challenge USCIS Fee Increase Rule
Two lawsuits were filed recently challenging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fee hikes and related actions: AILA/Sidley lawsuit. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Sidley Austin LLP filed a lawsuit on August 20, 2020, challenging...
Reminder: New I-765 Form Must Be Used If Postmarked On or After August 25, 2020
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept the current edition of Forms I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and I-765WS, dated 12/26/19, if they are postmarked before August 25, 2020. If they are postmarked on or after August 25, 2020,...
USCIS Suddenly Begins Selecting New H-1B Lottery Winners
According to reports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) experienced an unexpected decline in H-1B filings and therefore is selecting additional H-1B lottery winners. Some immigration attorneys say they are suddenly receiving email notifications from...
GAO Says Appointments of Wolf and Cuccinelli to Acting DHS Leadership Roles Were Invalid
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a decision concluding that after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019, the official who assumed the title of Acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan, had not been...
Public Charge and Applicants for Change/Extension of Nonimmigrant Status: Impact on F-1 Students
By Dan Berger, Julia Teele, Stephen Yale-Loehr, Lisa York, and Sandra Bruno Beginning February 24, 2020, a new federal regulation will change the way the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) looks at “public charge,” which is an evaluation of whether a...
Miller Mayer Memo: Public Charge Rule Information
This week we are introducing our new blog series "Miller Mayer Memo," where we'll discuss trending immigration topics. Our first post discusses the controversial public charge rule, and we'll discuss this topic further during a webinar on February 6th. Please visit...
