Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
USCIS Clarifies Period of Authorized Stay for P-1S Essential Support Personnel of Individual Athletes
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its Adjudicators Field Manual to emphasize that, under current regulations, the periods of initial authorized stay are different for individual athletes (P-1A visa) and their essential support personnel...
Miller Mayer’s David Wilks and Stephen Yale-Loehr Quoted Various Media Outlets
Stephen Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Associated Press in "Border Patrol Expands Fingerprinting of Migrant Children," which was published in many outlets. "DHS may claim that they can get around this bar [against taking biometric data from children] by getting parental...
USCIS Expands Fee Payment Changes to Additional Field Offices
In recent months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an expansion of fee payment changes to additional field offices. Those offices now only accept payments in the form of a personal check, attorney check, business check, debit card,...
Enforcement of Unlawful Presence Memo Targeting International Students Temporarily Blocked by Federal Judge
On May 3, 2019, a federal judge issued a nationwide order requiring USCIS to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a policy under which F-1/M-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors would begin to accrue unlawful presence as soon as they violate the terms of their visa...
USCIS and CBP Extend I-129 Pilot Program to Canadian L-1 Nonimmigrants
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that they are extending the joint agency pilot program for Canadian citizens seeking L-1 visa status under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) through...
SSA Resumes Issuing No-Match Letters
In March 2019, the Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed mailing notifications to employers identified as having at least one name and Social Security Number (SSN) combination submitted on the wage and tax statement (Form W-2) that do not match SSA's records....
USCIS Ending Forms Request Line June 1
Starting June 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is ending the Forms Request Line service that allows people to order forms by phone. The agency is encouraging applicants to download and print forms for free from the USCIS website. Mailed forms can...
President Issues Memo on Combating Nonimmigrant Overstay Rates
On April 22, 2019, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on "Combating High Nonimmigrant Overstay Rates." Many of the measures mentioned in the memo are not law yet. Among other things, the memo states: Visa overstay rates are "unacceptably high for nationals of...
USCIS Responds to Congressional Letter Asking for Info on Backlog Causes
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) responded on April 5, 2019, to a letter sent from 86 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to USCIS Director Francis Cissna. The letter asked the agency to explain the reasons for backlogged cases and how...
E-2 Investor Visa Program Opens to Israelis May 1
Effective May 1, 2019, the E-2 investor visa program will open to Israelis under a reciprocal treaty investor agreement signed between the United States and Israel. Certain Israeli nationals who are lawfully present in the United States will be able to request a...
