On November 10, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to a settlement pertaining to Employment Authorization for spouses of certain nonimmigrants temporarily employed in the United States. One part of the settlement pertains to nonimmigrants with …
Update for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) Green Card Application
On October 29, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an update to its policy on Liberian nationals adjusting their status (obtaining a Green Card) under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) Program. The Liberian Refugee Immigration …
Employment Authorization for Hong Kong Deferred Enforced Departure
On October 20,2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the process by which certain Hong Kong residents may apply for Employment Authorization. This new process complies with the Memorandum President Biden signed regarding Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) …
USCIS Extends Conditional Residence Status Extension for Pending I-751 and I-829 Forms from 18 to 24 Months
On September 3, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new decision for conditional permanent residents who properly file a Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence or I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions …
COVID-19 Vaccine Required for Certain Immigration-related Medical Examination Purposes
On August 19, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued new guidelines for conducting medical examinations for certain immigration-related purposes. So, beginning on October 1, 2021, all refugees and immigrants, and certain non-immigrants who are required to …
USCIS Temporarily Extending Validity Period of Form I-693 Medical Examination
On August 12, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an update to its policies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS decided to temporarily extend the validity of the Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination …
Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Residents
Citing the crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong, on August 5, 2021, President Biden signed a Memorandum regarding Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Certain Hong Kong Residents. This order defers the removal of any Hong Kong resident from …
F-1 Students No Longer Need to File Subsequent Application to “Bridge the Gap”
When an applicant applies to change their nonimmigrant status to that of F-1 International Student, they must maintain nonimmigrant status until 30 days prior to the start of their educational program. Since many programs have various start dates and the …
USCIS Removed 90-Day Rule Related to Presumption of Misrepresentation and Fraud from Policy Manual
Under the Trump Administration, the Department of State (DOS) adopted a policy guiding its agents to determine when a noncitizen made a misrepresentation. This policy became known as the 90-day rule. Since this guidance stated that the DOS agents can …
USCIS Cannot Approve New DACA Requests Per Texas v. United States
On July 16, 2021, Judge Andrew S. Hanen, from the United States District Court for the District of Southern Texas, issued a ruling in the case of State of Texas v. The United States of America. The State of Texas …