U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating existing policy guidance regarding agency discretion in adjudications of adjustment of status applications. The update provides "a non-exhaustive list of positive and negative factors that may be relevant...
Topic: Immigration Updates
Visa Bulletin for December Includes Info on Diversity Visas, Scheduled Expiration of Two Employment Visa Categories
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for December 2020 includes information on the diversity visa immigrant category rank cut-offs that will apply in December and January. It also includes information on the scheduled expiration of two employment visa categories on...
USCIS Publishes Guidance on E-Verify Tentative Nonconfirmations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published a question and answer on photo mismatches of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Tentative Nonconfirmations (TNCs). USCIS said that the photo E-Verify transmitted should be identical to the photo...
DHS Issues Proposed Rule to Expand Biometrics Collection
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to "permit collection of biometrics from aliens departing from airports, land ports, seaports, or any other authorized point of departure." In addition, to enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to verify...
DHS Issues Proposed Rule to Eliminate Work Authorization for Some With Final Orders of Removal
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to eliminate employment authorization eligibility for those who have final orders of removal but are temporarily released from custody on an order of supervision, with one "narrow" exception. DHS proposes to continue...
USCIS Updates Guidance on Naturalization Applicants
On November 18, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated policy guidance to clarify the circumstances when the agency would find applicants ineligible for naturalization because they were not lawfully admitted for permanent residence....
USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of Fiscal Year 2021
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on November 18, 2020, that it received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap on H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of fiscal year 2021. November 16, 2020, was the...
A Review of Recent AAO EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Decisions
By Hun Lee and Stephen Yale-Loehr* “As a married, self-employed serial entrepreneur from the Dominican Republic, the well-trodden paths of gaining a green card to work in the US, like marrying an American, investing more than $500K to $1M, or finding a...
Big-Picture, Clean-Slate Immigration Reforms for the Biden-Harris Administration
by Angelo A. Paparelli and Stephen Yale-Loehr As a new administration takes office on January 20, and the tantalizing prospect of enlightened immigration reforms looms on the horizon, an intriguing question has surfaced on Twitter: “Is there a progressive version of...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Possible Immigration Changes in New Administration
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted in various media outlets about possible immigration changes under the Biden-Harris administration: Los Angeles Times, "On Latin America, Biden's Brand of Diplomacy Will Be a Major Shift From Trump." Steve...
