Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees paid to the Department of State (DOS) in connection with a visa application submitted to a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad are normally valid for up to 12 months from the date of payment. Due to consulate closures and other processing...
Topic: Immigration Updates
USCIS Ends Biometrics Fee Suspension for I-539 Applicants
The temporary suspension of biometrics submission for I-539 applicants changing to or extending their H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, E-2C, E-3, or E-3S, and E-3Y nonimmigrant status will expire on September 30, 2023. Notably, in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS)...
USCIS Provides I-9 and E-Verify Guidance for People Impacted by the 2023 Hawaii Wildfire
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance on September 5, 2023, regarding I-9 and E-Verify compliance requirements in light of the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, regarding the potential loss or destruction of affected employees’ documentation. All...
State Department Jettisons 2019 Public Charge Restrictions
On September 5, 2023, the Department of State issued a final rule to discard the regulatory amendments included in a 2019 rule regarding ineligibility for immigration benefits based on an applicant’s likelihood to become a public charge. Before 2019, only public cash...
HHS Creates Data-matching Program with DHS
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published notice of a data-matching program with the Department of Homeland Security to share data related to applicants’ citizenship and immigration status for HHS eligibility...
State Dept. Conducting Proof of Concept Testing for Digital Visa Authorization
On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Consular Affairs announced it is developing and testing a digital visa authorization (DVA) capability instead of the traditional process of printed visas placed in applicants’ passports. The U.S....
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re NY Migrant Surge, Work Permits
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the New York Daily News in “NYC Mayor Adams Again Urges Feds to ‘Stand Up,’ Accelerate Work Permits for Migrants Amid Crisis.” Steve noted that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was gutted under...
Participants Sought for USCIS ‘myAccount’ Usability Study
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting a usability study for USCIS' myAccount application, a platform designed to streamline access to U.S. government websites such as myUSCIS. USCIS seeks input to help it improve the user experience and the...
USCIS Announces Re-Parole Process for Certain Afghans
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has issued updated guidance clarifying that ORR benefits and services will be available to eligible Afghan parolees who have a pending re-parole...
New York Leaders Press Biden Administration to Expedite Work Permits, DHS Notifies Migrants
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with city and union leaders, business leaders, and the governor of New York, pressed the Biden administration to expedite work permits and other types of aid for an estimated 100,000 migrants transported to the city from the...
