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New USCIS Filing Fees Coming Soon?

On September 29, a Federal Judge issued a temporary injunction blocking the government from raising USCIS filing fees for immigration benefits on October 2, 2020. We will continue to update you on the progress of this lawsuit. The chart below details the new USCIS filing fees which were scheduled to take effect on October 2, […]

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Supreme Court Ruling Could Impact the Future of DACA

The Future of DACA On June 18, 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration’s termination of the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program violated Federal law. In a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court held that the DHS’s decision violated the Administrative Procedures Act. The majority opinion explained […]

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Trump Visa Ban Extended and Expanded

On April 22, 2020, President Trump issued a 60-day visa ban which suspended the issuance of most categories of green cards for persons outside the U.S.   Two months later, on June 22, the the ban and expanded extended to include various types of temporary working visas as well as the family-based, employment-based and green card lottery […]

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Harsh New Asylum Regulation Proposed

A 161-page asylum regulation was proposed the DHS and the Department of Justice on June 15, 2020. The new rule would greatly restrict our country’s asylum system.  There is a 30-day period for the public to comment on the proposed rule. The government states the proposed rule would “more effectively separate baseless claims from meritorious ones. […]

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USCIS Resumes Premium Processing Service (June 2020)

USCIS announced that it will resume premium processing service for eligible I-129 and I-140 visa petitions during June 2020. Premium processing service had been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resumption of premium processing service is scheduled to occur on a week-to-week basis as follows:   June 1 USCIS will begin accepting Form […]

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Bill Would Recapture 40,000 Green Cards
For Doctors and Nurses

 On May 5, 2020, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill to recapture 40,000 lost green cards, and give them to much needed doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (S.3599) would speed the ability of foreign-born healthcare workers to become lawful permanent residents of the United States and allow them to […]

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Employers: New I-9 Handbook and Form

 On April 27, 2020, the USCIS released an updated version of the Handbook for Employers – Guidance for Completing Form I-9. The update of the I-9 handbook was timely because on May 1, 2020, employers are required to use the latest revision of form I-9.   Changes in the I-9 Handbook The update lists […]

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Employers Challenge H-1B Denials and Win!

 With the exponential rise in H-1B denials, we recommend that employers challenge erroneous USCIS decisions in Federal Court.  Three recent decisions by Federal Judges pave the road to success. H-1B denial rates increased from 6% in fiscal year 2015 to 21% in fiscal year 2019.  The denial rate for H-1B extensions increased to 12%. The […]

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Coronavirus COVID-19
Immigration Updates

The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly spreading around the world. As immigration lawyers, we have created this page in order to educate employers and immigrants regarding how the pandemic may affect their immigration cases and to make sure that immigrants, whether or not they are documented, are not afraid to seek medical care. In-person services at […]

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STEM OPT Program

A significantly revised and broadened STEM OPT program became effective in 2017. Under STEM-OPT, F-1 STEM graduates are eligible to extend of their OPT. They are granted two additional years of employment authorization. Their employers are subject to stringent new requirements, including the obligation to prepare a detailed training plan for each STEM OPT candidate, […]

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