U.S. Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) updated its Handbook for Employers (M-274) to remind employers that refugees and asylees may present any acceptable documents in their possession to fulfill I-9 employment authorization verification requirements. USCIS noted...
Topic: Immigration Updates
USCIS Reminds Employers to Take Action Within 10 Federal Government Working Days on Tentative Nonconfirmation Cases
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminded employers that they must take action on Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) cases for their employees within 10 federal government working days. USCIS noted that although most Social Security Administration...
No Surprise: Ombudsman’s Annual Report Says USCIS Faces ‘Unprecedented Challenges’ Due to Pandemic, Backlogs, Financial Issues
The Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman's Annual Report for 2021 states that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) "faces unprecedented challenges this year on virtually every front—from financial pressures to substantial backlogs across...
New DACA Applications Blocked by Federal Judge
New Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applications will not be allowed under a ruling by a U.S. district judge in Texas on July 16, 2021. The judge ruled that DACA violated the Administrative Procedure Act but temporarily stayed his ruling for the nearly...
Federal Appeals Court Rules Against EB-5 Investors
On July 9, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in Wang v. Blinken that family members must be counted toward the annual cap of about 10,000 EB-5 green cards. Plaintiffs had argued that the immigration statute is ambiguous and could also be...
USCIS Extends and Redesignates Yemen for TPS, Suspends Certain Requirements for Yemeni F-1 Students
On July 9, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension and resignation of Yemen for temporary protected status (TPS). On the same date, DHS announced the suspension of certain regulatory requirements for Yemeni F-1 nonimmigrant students who...
National Interest Exceptions Extended to One Year, Embassies Report
U.S. embassies in London and Berlin have reported that "all National Interest Exceptions (NIE) are now valid for 12 months and multiple entries as long as you are traveling for the same purpose for which you originally received [a National Interest Exception (NIE)]."...
OFLC Completes Randomization Process, Publishes List of Randomized H-2B Applications for Employers Seeking H-2B Workers Starting October 1, 2021
The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) completed the process to randomly assign to analysts for review and processing all H-2B applications submitted during the three-day filing window (July 3-5, 2021) requesting an October 1, 2021,...
USCIS Announces Updated Receipt Guidance for I-9 Process
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced updated guidance on receipts for the I-9 employment authorization verification process: When employees present a receipt showing that they applied to replace a List A, B, or C document that was lost, stolen,...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re EB-5 Program Lapse
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Associated Press in "Key Part of U.S. Residency Program for Investors Set to Expire," which appeared in many outlets. He said that the EB-5 regional center program provides valuable benefits to the...
