Premium Processing Begins for Certain Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions on May 20

On May 20, USCIS will begin premium processing for FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change of status on their Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Petitioners who do not file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, concurrently with an FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petition requesting a change of status must wait until premium processing begins on May 20 to submit Form I-907.   

On March 19, we announced that we would offer premium processing in a two-phased approach during the FY 2020 cap season to best manage premium processing requests without fully suspending it. In the past few years, we had to

Owner of Information Technology Companies Sentenced To 15 Months in Prison for Visa Fraud and Tax Fraud

USCIS Identified H-1B Visa Fraud and Initiated Investigation

NEWARK, N.J. – An owner of two information technology companies was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison for his role in using phony documents to fraudulently obtain H-1B visas for foreign workers and submitting false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) officer at the Vermont Service Center identified fraud and provided support to the investigation in this case. The FDNS Unit of the Newark Field Office then provided significant support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement partners during the criminal investigation that led to the confirmation, prosecution a

Rochester Man Sentenced For Visa Fraud

USCIS assisted in case combatting H-1B Visa Fraud

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced last week that Anjaneyulu Katam, 46, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of visa fraud, was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and fined $5,000 by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who handled the case, stated that between 2011 and 2017, Katam ran businesses in which he falsified immigration documents for Indian nationals to enter the U.S. and work in tech industries involving computer programming. The defendant manipulated the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers temporarily to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Katam falsified visa applications, work experience documents, and work contracts, which he then submitted to the U.S. Depa

CW-1 Filings for Fiscal Year 2020 Must be Accompanied by an Approved Temporary Labor Certification

USCIS will begin accepting petitions for employment with start dates in fiscal year (FY) 2020 under the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker program (the CW-1 program) on April 4, 2019. However, all CW-1 filings for FY 2020 must include an approved temporary labor certification (TLC) from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). USCIS will reject any CW-1 petition with an employment start date on or after Oct. 1, 2019, filed without the approved DOL TLC.

As required by the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018 (Workforce Act), DOL has announced that they will soon publish an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register. The rule, effective April 4, 2019, will outline how CW-1 employers will obtain a prevailing wage and TLC to use when petitioni

McKees Rocks Man Sentenced for Role in Marriage Scam

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year of probation on his conviction of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit offenses against the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Donetta Ambrose imposed sentence on Norman Lee McCullough, 55, of McKees Rocks, PA.

In connection with sentencing, the court was advised that from June 2016 to May 4, 2017, McCullough conspired with two other individuals to defraud the Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services. McCullough, a United States Citizen, received money and entered into a sham marriage with a Nigerian citizen so that the Nigerian citizen could obtain legal permanent residency in the United States. McCullough also submitted f

USCIS Announces FY 2020 H-1B Cap Season Start, Updates, and Changes

Simple, smart changes to make the H-1B visa program work better

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the start of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 H-1B cap season, start dates for premium processing of cap-subject H-1B petitions, and the launch of its new H-1B data hub, while reminding petitioners of its new H-1B cap selection process. These new efforts underscore the agency’s commitment to supporting President Trump’s Buy American and Hire American executive order designed to protect U.S. workers.

“USCIS continually strives to improve the administration of the H-1B program and make it work better for employers, our agency, and U.S. workers,” said USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. “We are also committed to fulfilling the president’s Buy Ameri

Panama City Marriage Fraud Conspirators Plead Guilty and Sentenced

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Ravi Babu Kolla, 47, an Indian foreign national residing in Panama City, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit marriage and visa fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  On Tuesday, his co-defendant Krystal Cloud, 40, of Altha, Florida, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for marriage and visa fraud conspiracy after pleading guilty on December 28, 2018.  Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty plea and sentence.

Between February 2017 and August 2018, Kolla operated an immigration marriage fraud business in Bay County that recruited U.S. citizens to marry Indian foreign nationals to gain immigration benefits.  The majority of the Indian foreign nationals overstayed their Visas or Student Exchange Visitor Program requirements an

Visa Bulletin May 2019 Predictions

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

Please see May 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	22DEC11	22DEC11	22DEC11	01SEP97	15MAY07
F2A	22MAR17	22MAR17	22MAR17	15MAR17	22MAR17
F2B	08DEC12	08DEC12	08DEC12	01JAN98	22AUG07
F3	15OCT06	15OCT06	15OCT06	22FEB96	08JUL96
F4	08FEB06	08FEB06	01AUG04	01MAR98	15JUL96

"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	15JUL12	15JUL12	15JUL12	08NOV99	22APR08
F2A	22DEC17	22DEC17	22DEC17	22DEC17	22DEC17
F2B	01OCT14	01OCT14	01OCT14	08AUG98	15MAR08
F3	15MAY07	15MAY07	15MAY07	08AUG00	08NOV97
F4	15SEP06	15SEP06	08MAR05	01DEC98	01APR98

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct a widespread system maintenance on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, from 9 p.m. until midnight (Eastern).

During this time you may experience technical difficulties and many of 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
• File Online
• myUSCIS Online Account 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

5 Arrested in Scheme that Hired People to Take English Proficiency Exam on Behalf of Chinese Nationals Seeking Student Visas

LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities this morning arrested five defendants linked to a scheme that helped Chinese nationals obtain student visas by hiring individuals who used fake Chinese passports to take an English proficiency test for the foreign students.

The arrests were made pursuant to a 26-count indictment returned on Friday by a federal grand jury. The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to use false passports, using false passports, and aggravated identity theft as part of the scheme to impersonate Chinese nationals who were required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to obtain a student visa.

The five defendants were taken into custody this morning without incident. They are:

• Liu Cai, 23, of Woodland Hills, who allegedly facilitated the scheme, took at least five TOEFL exams him

April 2019 Visa Bulletin

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

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

April 2019 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from April 1 to April 30 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	01DEC11	01DEC11	01DEC11	08AUG97	08APR07
F2A	01MAR17	01MAR17	01MAR17	15FEB17	01MAR17
F2B	22OCT12	22OCT12	22OCT12	01DEC97	01AUG07
F3	22SEP06	22SEP06	22SEP06	08FEB96	01JUN96
F4	01JAN06	01JAN06	15JUL04	08FEB98	01JUN96

"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	01JUL12	01JUL12	01JUL12	01OCT99	08APR08
F2A	15DEC17	15DEC17	15DEC17	15DEC17	15DEC17
F2B	01JUL14	01JUL14	01JUL14	01JUL98	01MAR08
F3	22APR07	22APR07	22APR07	15JUN00	01SEP97
F4	01AUG06	01AUG06	15FEB05	15NOV98	15JAN98

April 2019 Visa Bulletin Analysis

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

Please see below analysis of April 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 10 Days	+1 Month 10 Days	+1 Month 10 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days
F2A	+1 Month 24 Days	+1 Month 24 Days	+1 Month 24 Days	+2 Months	+1 Month 24 Days
F2B	+2 Months 21 Days	+2 Months 21 Days	+2 Months 21 Days	+2 Months 9 Days	+10 Days
F3	+14 Days	+14 Days	+14 Days	+24 Days	+5 Months
F4	+3 Months 9 Days	+3 Months 9 Days	+7 Days	No Change	+5 Months

"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	+2 Months 9 Days	+2 Months 9 Days	+2 Months 9 Days	+9 Days	+7 Days
F2A	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days
F2B	+9 Days	+9 Days	+9 Days	+4 Months 21 Days	+1 Month 10 Days
F3	+1 Month 21 Days	+1 Month 21 Days	+1 Month 21 Days	+7 Days	No Change
F4	+1 Month 9 Days	+1 Month 9 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days

April 2019 Visa Bulletin Special Notes

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

Apart from posting current dates, State Department has also added special notes to Visa Bulletin mentioned above. Please see full details below:

D. FINAL ACTION DATE MOVEMENT

USCIS Provided Assist Leading to Indictments on Conspiracy to Commit Marriage Fraud and Related Immigration Charges

RALEIGH, N.C. – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned an indictment charging Levan Lomtatidze, 44, a citizen of the country of Georgia; Melissa Anne Godshall, 31, a citizen of the United States; and Robert J. Kennerley, 46, a citizen of the United States, with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, aiding and abetting, visa fraud and false statements in immigration proceedings.

The indictment alleges that Godshall and Kennerley, who were romantically involved, were panhandling for money on the side of the road in Granville County, North Carolina. An individual approached them and asked Godshall if she would be willing to marry a foreign-born national for money. Godshall agreed to engage in the marriage to Lomtatidze in exchange for $12,000, housing and a veh

USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions

USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, March 12, for all H-1B petitions. If you received a request for evidence (RFE) for a pending petition, you should include the RFE response with the premium processing request.

When an H-1B petitioner properly 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 processing service fee and continues with expedited processing of the petition.

If Your H-1B Petition Was Transferred

If you received a transfer notice for a pending H-1B petition, and you are requesting premium processing service, you must submit the premium processing request to th

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct a widespread system maintenance on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, from 9 p.m. until midnight (Eastern).

During this time you may experience technical difficulties and many of 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
• File Online
• myUSCIS Online Account 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

USCIS Assists in Case Resulting in the Leader of Non-Profit Music Organization Pleading Guilty in Visa Fraud Scheme

NEW YORK - Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Stella Boyadjian, the operator of a non-profit organization called Big Apple Music Awards Foundation Inc., based in Rego Park, Queens, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring aliens unlawfully into the United States, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  The guilty plea was entered before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate assisted in the case, which was a joint investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service’s Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Divisions.

Between January 2013 and December 2014, Boyadjian and others engaged in a widespread visa fraud scheme to bring foreign nationals illegally into the United States by fraudulently claiming to the United

UPDATE: USCIS to Publish Revised Form I-539 and New Form I-539A on March 8

We have revised Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status and will publish the revised form on our website on March 8, 2019. We will be removing the 12/23/16 version of Form I-539 from uscis.gov on March 8 but will be allowing for a two-week grace period, until close of business on March 21, for that version to be received by USCIS. Starting on March 22, we will only accept the revised Form I-539 with an edition date of 02/04/19. We will reject any Form I-539 with an edition date of 12/23/16, or earlier, that is received by USCIS after March 21.

We will also be publishing a new Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, on the Form I-539 webpage on March 8. Form I-539A

Worcester Man Charged With Making False Statement in Naturalization Application

BOSTON— A man residing in Worcester was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston with making a false statement on an application for naturalization.

John Doe, a/k/a Richard Cheremeh, whose true age, name, and nationality are unknown, was charged with one count of making a false statement relating to naturalization and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment that was unsealed today, on July 31, 2014, Doe falsely stated on an application for naturalization that he had never given any U.S. government official any information or documentation that was false, fraudulent, or misleading.

The charge of making a false statement relating to naturalization provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggr

USCIS Updates Fee Payment System Used in Field Offices

WASHINGTON—On Feb. 25, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expanded the fee payment system used in field offices to 13 additional offices:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico;
• Buffalo, New York;
• Detroit, Michigan;
• El Paso, Texas;
• Harlingen, Texas;
• Hartford, Connecticut;
• Jacksonville, Florida;
• Louisville, Kentucky;
• Mt. Laurel, New Jersey;
• Newark, New Jersey;
• Raleigh, North Carolina;
• Sacramento, California; and
• San Antonio, Texas.

Our fee pa

New Online Tools Reduce Wait Times for Callers

The USCIS Contact Center is currently experiencing higher than normal wait times for callers to speak to a representative. While we work to resolve this, we encourage you to use our online tools.

Our self-service applicant tools could save you a phone call or a trip to one of our offices. These helpful resources include:

• The USCIS online account;
• Case Status Online;
• Change of Address; and
• Emma, our online virtual assistant.

If you have an inquiry that cannot be resolved through our self-help tools, you may call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833).

The USCIS Contact Center is changing its hours of operation to ensure that we h