U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its "approximate" cap count for H-2B visas for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The agency received 26,123 petitions toward the 33,000 cap for the first half of FY 2022, with 21,096 approved and 5,027 pending. USCIS said...
Topic: Immigration Updates
USCIS Expands Credit Card Payment Pilot Program to Texas Service Center
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Texas Service Center is now accepting credit card payments using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for petitioners filing Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, with...
COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Immigration Medical Exams
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective October 1, 2021, applicants subject to the immigration medical examination must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the civil surgeon can complete the exam and sign Form I-693, Report...
Diversity Visa 2021 Update: State Dept Ordered to “Expeditiously Process” DV-2021 Applications by Sept. 30
On September 9, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia preliminarily enjoined the Department of State (DOS) from applying November 2020 prioritization policy guidance to diversity visa (DV) 2021 applicants and ordered DOS to undertake good-faith...
Visa Bulletin for October Includes Outlook for Next Several Months
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for October 2021 includes information on potential movement in visa availability for the next several months: Employment First: Worldwide: Current China: Current India: Current Employment Second: Worldwide: Current China: Up to...
State Dept. Expands Categories of International Students That Can Be Adjudicated Without In-Person Interviews
The Department of State (DOS) announced on September 14, 2021, that it has authorized consular officers through the end of 2021 to expand the categories of F, M, and "academic J visa applicants" (students, professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, and...
State Dept. Announces Tiered Triage of Immigrant Visa Applications at U.S. Embassies and Consulates
The Department of State (DOS) announced that U.S. embassies and consulates are using a tiered approach to triage immigrant visa applications based on the category of immigrant visa as they resume and expand processing. Consular sections, where possible, are scheduling...
District Court Vacates H-1B Lottery Wage-Based Final Rule
A U.S. district court judge vacated a final rule, "Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States," because Chad Wolf was not lawfully appointed as Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland...
Senate Parliamentarian Rejects Inclusion of Immigration Language in $3.5 Trillion Bill
In a blow to Democrats, President Biden, and immigration advocates, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled on September 19, 2021, that immigration language cannot be included in the $3.5 trillion filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill. She said, "The...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re 9/11, Hong Kong DED
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by Radio Free Asia in "US Visa Extension to Offer 18-Month Work Permit to 'Eligible' Hongkongers." Referring to President Biden's memorandum issued August 5, 2021, allowing Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)...
