U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that certain flexibilities first introduced in March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic ended on March 23, 2023. USCIS previously notified the public that barring any changes presented by the pandemic, the...
Topic: Immigration Updates
April Visa Bulletin Shows Worldwide EB-4 Backlog of 5+ Years, EB-2 Retrogression
According to the Department of State's (DOS) Visa Bulletin for April 2023, the EB-4 category, which includes special immigrant religious workers, now has a worldwide backlog of 5+ years. Also, the EB-2 final action dates for Rest of World, India, Mexico, and the...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re H-1B Layoffs
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Times of India in "Laid-Off H-1B Workers to Get 6-Month Reprieve." The article discusses a recommendation by a presidential advisory panel to extend the grace period for laid-off H-1B workers from 60...
DHS Announces Extension for Certain Paroled Ukrainians
The Department of Homeland Security DHS) will consider, on a case-by-case basis, a one-year extension of parolee status for the estimated 25,000 Ukrainian nationals and immediate family members who were paroled into the United States at a land border before the...
Biometrics Requirement Removed for EB-5 Regional Center Investor Petitioners
As of March 15, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has removed the biometrics submission requirement and related $85 fee for petitioners filing Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor. USCIS said it may still request the...
Green Card Holders May Receive Temporary Evidence of Status by Mail, USCIS Says
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on March 16, 2023, that certain lawful permanent residents (LPRs), also known as green card holders, may receive temporary evidence of their status by mail rather than physically visiting a field office to...
USCIS Issues Policy Alert on Evidence for Employers’ Ability to Pay Proffered Wage
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy alert on March 15, 2023, on employers' ability to pay the proffered wage to prospective beneficiaries of certain I-140 immigrant petitions. This is important in many employment-related green card...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Convenes Immigration Policy Conf. in DC
On February 24, 2023, Cornell Law School sponsored "Immigration Reform: Lessons Learned and A Path Forward," a conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Both in-person and over Zoom, about 220 people attended the conference, which explored targeted...
USCIS Issues Guidance on Mobile and Remote Biometrics Collection
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance on March 7, 2023, to address mobile biometrics collection and the biometrics collection of benefit requestors in remote locations. USCIS said the guidance is intended for benefit requestors who...
DHS Extends Enforcement Date for REAL ID
On May 3, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an interim final rule extending the REAL ID card-based enforcement deadline to May 3, 2023. A new final rule published March 9, 2023, further extends the date for card-based enforcement of the REAL ID...
