Thursday, January 31, 2019

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



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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

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



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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

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



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Saturday, January 26, 2019

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



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Friday, January 25, 2019

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;


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Friday, January 18, 2019

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.



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Thursday, January 17, 2019

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



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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F108OCT1108OCT1108OCT1101SEP9701MAY07
F2A22DEC1622DEC1622DEC1608DEC1622DEC16
F2B08JUN1208JUN1208JUN1215AUG9701AUG07
F315SEP0615SEP0615SEP0608JAN9601SEP95
F422JUL0522JUL0508JUL0415FEB9801NOV95
"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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F115APR1215APR1215APR1215DEC9901APR08
F2A01JAN1801JAN1801JAN1801JAN1801JAN18
F2B15SEP1415SEP1415SEP1401NOV9701FEB08
F308MAR0708MAR0708MAR0701NOV0001OCT97
F401AUG0601AUG0622FEB0522NOV9801MAR98



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Friday, January 11, 2019

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)



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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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1+1 Month+1 Month+1 MonthNo 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 DaysNo Change+1 Month
F4+1 Month+1 Month+7 DaysNo 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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo 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



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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



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Thursday, January 10, 2019

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.



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Wednesday, January 9, 2019

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



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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

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.



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Saturday, January 5, 2019

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.

QuestionUpdate
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&



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