NCLS
October 31, 2024
New U.S. Bill: Support for Belarusians and Russians
Bridge Act: Recognition of expired Belarusian and Russian passports in the USA Changes in Belarusian Passport Rules Recently, Alexander Lukashenko introduced a new rule affecting Belarusian citizens living abroad. They can no longer renew, replace, or...
August 1, 2024
USCIS and EOIR Policy Changes: Garcia Perez Case
Important changes in USCIS and EOIR policies related to the Garcia Perez case. In our article you will learn how this will affect obtaining work permits for political asylum applicants Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and National Immigration...
June 22, 2024
Visa refusal due to tattoo. History of the case “Department of State v. Muñoz Family”
The new precedent shocked the immigration community. History of the case “Department of State v. Muñoz Family” In Department of State v. Muñoz, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that significantly changed the practice of processing...
June 20, 2024
Green Card for spouses of undocumented US citizens
President Biden provides legal protection for spouses of undocumented US citizens In recent times, significant changes have occurred in US immigration policy aimed at curbing the uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants. President Biden has temporarily...
June 6, 2024
Biden introduces temporary asylum restrictions for immigrants
Biden introduces temporary restrictions on granting asylum to immigrants crossing the US border with Mexico US President Joe Biden announced temporary measures to limit asylum for migrants who illegally cross the border with Mexico. These measures are...
May 27, 2024
Memorial Day in the USA: History, Traditions, and Significance for Immigrants
Annually in the USA on the last Monday of May celebrates Memorial Day, a national holiday dedicated to honoring the memory of military personnel who have given their lives in service to the country. This day holds significant importance not only for...
May 24, 2024
USCIS Updates Guidance on Immigration Visas for Family Migrants
Since May 22, 2024, USCIS has updated guidance regarding the filing of petitions for immigration visas for family members (including Form I-130, petition for a visa for a foreign relative, and, in certain cases, Form I-360 for family members of certain...
May 23, 2024
Record number of visas to the USA in six months: Key trends and statistics
Immigration Visas: In the first half of the 2024 fiscal year, the US government issued historically high numbers of both immigration and non-immigration visas, setting new records in various categories. Between October 2023 and March 2024, over 281,000...
May 17, 2024
The US Congress extended benefits for Ukrainians
The United States Congress extended the benefits for Ukrainian Citizens originally allocated to Ukrainian refugees beginning May 21, 2022 under the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 (AUSAA), and has now extended it with the Ukraine Security...
May 15, 2024
New Biden administration measures to speed up deportation process at border
President Joe Biden’s administration continues to take steps to strengthen U.S. border security and streamline processing of asylum applications and expedited deportations The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with...
May 10, 2024
Vacancies
An attorney with a minimum of 2 years of experience in one of the following areas: 1. Immigration Law 2. Family law Admission to the bar is accepted in the following states: MD, VA, FL (admissions from other states are also accepted for attorneys...
May 1, 2024
US strengthens protection for victims of human trafficking
Under American law, human trafficking is one of the most serious labor violations. It is also a criminal offense that involves physical and psychological abuse of a worker, creating an unacceptable and criminal dependence of the worker on the employer....
April 25, 2024
Refunds money for work permits for Ukrainians
Ukrainian citizens who have received humanitarian status and applied for a work permit through Form I-765 may request a refund of the state fee. USCIS is refunding Form I-765 “Eligibility to Work” payments in the amount of $410 to Ukrainian citizens...
April 11, 2024
USCIS has updated some immigration forms
On April 1, 2024, USCIS released updates to certain immigration forms. For example, such as: I-140 “Immigration Petition for Alien Workers” N-600 “Application for issuance of a certificate of citizenship” I-912 “Request for Fee...
April 5, 2024
Now your work permit in the US is automatically extended for one and a half years
USCIS extends automatic renewal of Employment Authorization (EAD) April 4, 2024 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an increase in the automatic extension of work authorization (EAD) in the United States. Now the work...
March 15, 2024
USCIS streamlines the work authorization process for refugees
In the US, refugees will be issued work permits within 30 days USCIS recently announced that it is simplifying the process of obtaining an EAD and SSN for refugees. The new process is fully automated and no longer requires refugees to apply for an EAD...
February 28, 2024
The US State Department has released a re-parole program for Ukrainian citizens
The re-parole program has been launched for Ukrainians who arrived using a humanitarian password From February 27, 2024, Ukrainians and their immediate relatives, including those who are not citizens of Ukraine, arrived in the United States with a...
February 19, 2024
New H-1B registration rules
USCIS announces new registration rules for the H-1B Program USCIS has made updates to the H-1B program aimed at improving the program, reducing H-1B enrollment fraud, and changing the cost of certain application fees. Beginning enrollment in FY 2025,...
January 24, 2024
Mandamus: How to speed up the process of reviewing “stuck” petitions
How to speed up the process of reviewing “stuck” petitions or what is Mandamus? There are cases when the government or other U.S. authorities do not take timely measures and delay the process of consideration of immigration petitions for a long time....
January 15, 2024
The new court decision is the right to receive a fear interview within 60 days.
Thousands of people seeking protection in the United States end up in immigration detention after crossing into Mexico and are typically subject to immediate deportation. However, those who address threats of abuse or torture in their home countries have...
January 10, 2023
The CBP One mobile app
The CBP One mobile app will go live on January 12, allowing asylum applicants planning to cross the Mexico-U.S. border to register to cross the border at Cuidad Juarez, Tijuana, Matamoros, Reynosa, Piedras Negras, Nogales and Nuevo Laredo without...
January 5, 2023
Citizens of those countries can now apply for parole through the app before arriving at the Mexico-US border
Citizens of those countries can now apply for humanitarian parole through a phone app before arriving at the Mexican-US border Citizens from these countries would be returned back to Mexico for not following the protocol. President is to visit El Paso...
December 13, 2022
LGBTQI+ marriages now officially qualify for immigration benefits
President Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act, which federally protects same-sex and interracial marriages. Now by law, not just by precedents LGBTQI+ married couples could apply for the same immigration benefits as other married...
August 10, 2022
Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for the U4U Program
All beneficiaries 6 months of age and older are now required to have a certificate confirming that they received their COVID-19 vaccinations both prior to travel to the United States and upon arrival, unless they are eligible for an exemption....
June 14, 2022
US no longer requires COVID test for travelers flying into the country.
The US will reportedly no longer require international air travelers to take a COVID test before traveling to the country. The change will be effective starting June 12th, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will reevaluate the...
June 3, 2022
US Continues March 2020 Guidance for F/M Students for 2022-23 Academic Year
This guidance enables schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the continuing public health concerns created by COVID-19. The March 2020 guidance applies to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled...
June 2, 2022
USCIS to Implement Premium Processing for Certain Previously Filed EB-1 and EB-2 Form I-140 Petitions
USCIS is implementing premium processing for certain EB-1 and EB-2 classifications with pending Form I-140, under the EB-1 and EB-2 classifications. This applies only to an E13 multinational executive and manager classification or E21 classification as a...
May 9, 2022
Social Security Administration Will Recognize That E and L Spouses Are Work Authorized Incident Status
Before the Social Security Administration (SSA) was refusing to issue social security numbers to E and L spouses in accordance with USCIS’s recent policy update recognizing that they are work authorized incident to status and do not need an employment...
April 19, 2022
USCIS shall no longer issue “combo cards” (work authorization and travel document in one card)
Instead, they will switch back to the old system issuing separate EADs and advance parole documents. USCIS explained it by their effort to reduce backlogs of EAD applications, which are currently pending for 8 months or more. Retrieved from NCLS page on...
March 21, 2022
The US Department of State has provided guidance on local filing of Form I-130 by Ukrainians at the US Consulate, bypassing USCIS and NVC
The U.S. Department of State has released guidance stating that U.S. citizens who are physically abroad with their Ukrainian (and Afghan, Ethiopian) immediate family members have the right to ask to file a Form I-130 petition on the spot at the nearest...
March 20, 2022
USCIS Issues Policy of Automatic Right to Work for Spouses of E and L Visa Holders (E-2 and L-2)
USCIS stated that it will consider E and L spouses to be employment authorized incident to their valid E or L nonimmigrant status. The agency further stated that DHS will modify Form I-94 to distinguish E and L spouses from E and L children, making the...
March 11, 2022
Reauthorization of the EB-5 Center Recovery Program
The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 has been added to the FY 2022 Consolidated Expenditure Report. The resumption of the Program is a restoration of justice for all those who have already applied and were waiting in line. The I-526 and I-485...
January 26, 2022
USCIS Updates Guidance on National Interest Waivers
On January 21, 2022, USCIS announced updated guidance on adjudicating requests for “National Interest Waivers”, which includes discussing the unique considerations for persons with advanced degrees in science, technology,...
November 9, 2021
New COVID-19 Travel Requirements
On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued a proclamation ending travel bans that restricted the entry of nonimmigrants present in China, Brazil, India, Iran, South Africa, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Schengen Area. The Proclamation also...
October 2, 2020
DV Lottery News
Last night, in an almost unprecedented move, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the State Department to reserve 9,095 additional diversity visas on top of the 3,208 issued since the court’s initial September 4, 2020, order...
September 25, 2020
DHS Proposes to Change Terms of Stay for F, J and I Nonimmigrants
Not surprisingly, the initiative to change the terms of stay of international students and journalists is coming from Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary, Ken Cuccinelli, who has always opposed the flow of immigrants to the...
August 14, 2020
National Interest Exceptions to Presidential Proclamations 10014 & 10052
On August 12, 2020, U.S. Department of State has issued a new advisory with new details and substantially broadened exceptions to the general ban on issuance of new H/L/J visas. For example, the following qualifications are applicable to L-1 Visa...
August 3, 2020
PUBLIC CHARGE RULE SUSPENSION
Effective February 24, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has temporarily suspended the requirements of the Public Pay Rule, which has drastically affected most family-based green card applications, employment, and...
August 3, 2020
USCIS INCREASES FEES
Effective October 2, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is increasing its processing fees for a wide range of immigration petitions and applications. For example, the application fees for filing Form I-130, Petition for...
July 7, 2020
Exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online courses during fall 2020 are removed.
WASHINGTON – The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications Monday to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. Temporary exemptions for the fall 2020...