DHS Announces Final Rule for a More Effective and Efficient H-1B Visa Program

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted today for public inspection, a final rule amending regulations governing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The final rule reverses the order by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B petitions under the H-1B regular cap and the advanced degree exemption, and it introduces an electronic registration requirement for petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 31, and will go into effect on April 1, though the electronic registration requireme

USCIS Makes Two More Applications Available for Online Filing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that applicants can now complete and file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship, and Form N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322 online.

“One of the major burdens to both benefit seekers and the agency’s adjudicators is the costly, time consuming, and cumbersome process of traditional paper filing,” said USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. “This addition to our online capabilities is yet another positive advancement toward a more efficient and convenient filing experience for everyone involved.”

Applicants can file Form N-60

USCIS Announces Online Case Status Feature for Asylum Applicants

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that applicants who have a pending affirmative asylum application with USCIS can now check the status of their applications online at uscis.gov/casestatus. Only asylum applicants with an application pending with USCIS will be able to use this new feature to check their case status online. It will not cover defensive asylum applicants whose cases are pending in immigration court.

“The new capability increases transparency and assures applicants that they have the most up-to-date and accurate information about their case, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. “We strive to adjudicate all applications and petitions in a timely manner and are

USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap Petitions

USCIS will resume premium processing on Monday, Jan. 28, for all fiscal year (FY) 2019 H-1B cap petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption (the “master’s cap”). Petitioners who have received requests for evidence (RFEs) for pending FY 2019 cap petitions should include their RFE response with any request for premium processing they may submit.

H-1B visas provide employers with skilled workers for a wide range of specialty occupations. When a petitioner requests the agency’s premium processing service, USCIS guarantees a 15-day processing time. If we do not take certain adjudicative action within the 15‑calendar day processing time, USCIS refunds the petitioner’s premium

USCIS Announces Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs

USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), have announced the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in 2019. The notice listing the eligible countries was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 18, 2019.

For 2019, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have agreed to:

• Add Mozambique and Samoa to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs;
• Add Paraguay to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A visa program;

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, from 9 p.m. until midnight (Eastern).

During this time, our online tools may be unavailable, including:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• FOIA Status Check
• Office Locator
• Forms by Mail

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

JTF-W STC Arrests USCIS Target Tied To Illicit Funds, Marriage Fraud

MCALLEN, TEXAS – On January 8, 2019, agents assigned to the Joint Task Force - West, South Texas Corridor’s McAllen Joint Targeting Team (JTT) in coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Constables Office, arrested Edsgardo Coss-Vallejo on suspicion of marriage fraud and currency smuggling.

During a USCIS interview, Coss-Vallejo’s petitioner withdrew her I-30 Petition for Alien Relative form.  USCIS subsequently denied the application, revoked his visa, and notified JTF-W STC of his overstay and suspected marriage fraud. Additional research by the JTT revealed several illicit financial transactions totaling $128,000.  JTT agents requested and received consent from Coss-Vallejo to search his home after suspecting illicit activity at

Visa Bulletin March 2019 Predictions

For official February 2019 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-february-2019.aspx

Please see March 2019 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based):

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08OCT11	08OCT11	08OCT11	01SEP97	01MAY07
F2A	22DEC16	22DEC16	22DEC16	08DEC16	22DEC16
F2B	08JUN12	08JUN12	08JUN12	15AUG97	01AUG07
F3	15SEP06	15SEP06	15SEP06	08JAN96	01SEP95
F4	22JUL05	22JUL05	08JUL04	15FEB98	01NOV95

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	15APR12	15APR12	15APR12	15DEC99	01APR08
F2A	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18	01JAN18
F2B	15SEP14	15SEP14	15SEP14	01NOV97	01FEB08
F3	08MAR07	08MAR07	08MAR07	01NOV00	01OCT97
F4	01AUG06	01AUG06	22FEB05	22NOV98	01MAR98

Visa Bulletin Predictions for 2019

For the official February 2019 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-february-2019.aspx

FAMILY-sponsored categories (potential monthly movement)
Worldwide dates (except oversubscribed countries):

F1: Up to five weeks
F2A: Up to one month
F2B: Up to two months
F3: Up to two weeks
F4: Up to six weeks

EMPLOYMENT-based categories (potential monthly movement)

February 2019 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For February 2019 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-february-2019.aspx

Please see below analysis of February 2019 Visa Bulletin:

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	No Change	+14 Days
F2A	+23 Days	+23 Days	+23 Days	+1 Month	+23 Days
F2B	+1 Month 17 Days	+1 Month 17 Days	+1 Month 17 Days	+1 Month 14 Days	+9 Days
F3	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	No Change	+1 Month
F4	+1 Month	+1 Month	+7 Days	No Change	+1 Month

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month
F2A	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2B	+3 Months	+3 Months	+3 Months	+1 Month	+1 Month
F3	+24 Days	+24 Days	+24 Days	+1 Month 7 Days	+2 Months
F4	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+24 Days	+7 Months 16 Days

February 2019 Visa Bulletin

For January 2019 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-january-2019.aspx

For analysis of February 2019 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-analysis-february-2019.aspx

February 2019 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from February 1 to February 28 only). Please see below for more details.

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	22SEP11	22SEP11	22SEP11	01AUG97	15MAR07
F2A	01DEC16	01DEC16	01DEC16	15NOV16	01DEC16
F2B	01MAY12	01MAY12	01MAY12	22JUL97	01JUL07
F3	22AUG06	22AUG06	22AUG06	22DEC95	22AUG95
F4	22JUN05	22JUN05	22JUN04	08FEB98	01OCT95

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08APR12	08APR12	08APR12	22SEP99	15MAR08
F2A	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17	01DEC17
F2B	22JUN14	22JUN14	22JUN14	08OCT97	15JAN08
F3	01FEB07	01FEB07	01FEB07	08JUN00	01AUG97
F4	15JUN06	15JUN06	01FEB05	01NOV98	08DEC97

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, from 9 p.m. until midnight (Eastern).

During this time, our online tools may be unavailable, including:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• FOIA Status Check
• Office Locator
• Forms by Mail

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

New USCIS Tool Calculates Fees, Helps Avoid Incorrect Payments

WASHINGTON— USCIS has launched a new Online Fee Calculator to assist members of the public in calculating the correct fee amount to include when filing their forms with USCIS at an agency lockbox facility. A list of forms processed at USCIS Lockbox facilities is available on the USCIS website.

USCIS developed the Online Fee Calculator to help reduce the number of applications rejected due to incorrect fee amounts. The Online Fee Calculator will determine the exact filing and biometric fees an individual needs to include with their forms and will always have the most up-to-date fee information.

In fiscal year 2017, USCIS processed more than 11 million applications. For applications that require fees

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, from 9 p.m. until midnight (Eastern).

During this time, our online tools may be unavailable, including:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• FOIA Status Check
• Office Locator
• Forms by Mail

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Civics Test Answer Updates

Are you preparing for the naturalization test? As you study for the U.S. history and government (civics) test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions. 

Periodically, answers to the civics test change to reflect the results of federal and state elections and appointments or to clarify content and ensure consistency in terminology. The revised answers to the questions below are effective immediately.

Question	Update
20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?	The answer to this question may change as the result of elections, appointments, or retirements. Give the name of one of your state&