USCIS Issues Updates to Biometrics Collection Guidance

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updates to its Policy Manual that address mobile biometrics services and fingerprint waivers.

USCIS requires biometrics from individuals who submit applications, petitions, and requests for certain immigration benefits. USCIS uses biometrics to verify identity, produce secure documents, and conduct required criminal and national security background checks. 

Mobile Biometrics Services

Generally, individuals have their biometrics collected by appointment at an Applicant Support Center (ASC). In limited cases, at the discretion of the agency, U

USCIS Adjusts Process for Managing EB-5 Visa Petition Inventory

WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a process change for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, from a first-in, first-out basis to a visa availability approach.

This new operational approach aligns with other visa-availability agency adjudications processes, is more consistent with congressional intent for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, and increases fairness in the administration of the program.

“Changing our approach from a first-in, first-out adjudication process to one that prioritizes petitions connected to individuals from countries where visas are currently available better aligns the EB-5 program with congressional intent and makes it mo

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, January 29th at 11:59 p.m. until Thursday, January 30th at 3:00 a.m. (EST).

During this timeframe, users may experience technical difficulties with one or more of the following online tools:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• Office Locator
• File Online
• myUSCIS Online Account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

DHS Obtains Another Judicial Victory on Implementing Public Charge Inadmissibility Rule

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security obtained a pivotal judicial victory today after the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a nationwide injunction that prevented the agency from enforcing its regulatory interpretation of section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a long-standing law that makes an alien inadmissible if the alien is likely at any time to become a public charge.

The high court granted DHS’s motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction issued by a single judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and recently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“DHS has always been confident that an objective judi

Treaty Termination Ends Certain Visa Eligibility for Iranian Nationals

USCIS today announced (PDF) that, due to the Oct. 3, 2018, termination of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Iran, Iranian nationals are no longer eligible for E-1 treaty trader and E-2 treaty investor changes or extensions of status based on the treaty.

The E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visa classifications allow an alien of a treaty country to be admitted to the United States for the purposes of engaging in international trade or investing a substantial amount of capital into a U.S. business.

E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas are based on trade and investment treaties or specific legisla

Visa Bulletin March 2020 Predictions

For official February 2020 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-february-2020.aspx

Please see March 2020 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	22OCT13	22OCT13	22OCT13	08SEP97	08JUN09
F2A	C	C	C	C	C
F2B	01NOV14	01NOV14	01NOV14	15OCT98	01JUL09
F3	01JAN08	01JAN08	01JAN08	01APR96	22AUG99
F4	01AUG06	01AUG06	01DEC04	08FEB98	22OCT99

"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	22MAY14	22MAY14	22MAY14	01DEC99	22NOV09
F2A	01FEB20	01FEB20	01FEB20	01FEB20	01FEB20
F2B	22MAY15	22MAY15	22MAY15	22JUN99	01JAN10
F3	08SEP08	08SEP08	08SEP08	22JUL00	08JAN00
F4	01SEP07	01SEP07	08AUG05	22JAN99	08MAR00

USCIS Final FY 2019 Statistics Available

WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) final fiscal year (FY) 2019 agency statistics are now available online. These statistics include naturalizations, green cards, employment authorizations and protected populations, among other categories.  The agency’s FY 2019 asylum statistics are available <a target='_blank' href="https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data?topic_id=20667&field_native_doc_i

February 2020 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For February 2020 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-february-2020.aspx

Please see below analysis of February 2020 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 7 Days	+1 Month 7 Days	+1 Month 7 Days	+14 Days	+2 Months 17 Days
F2A	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2B	+14 Days	+14 Days	+14 Days	+24 Days	+3 Months
F3	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	+21 Days	+4 Months
F4	-7 Months	-7 Months	+14 Days	+7 Days	+4 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	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	No Change	+16 Days
F2A	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month
F2B	+14 Days	+14 Days	+14 Days	+23 Days	+1 Month
F3	+7 Days	+7 Days	+7 Days	No Change	+2 Months
F4	No Change	No Change	+14 Days	No Change	+2 Months

February 2020 Visa Bulletin

For January 2020 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-january-2020.aspx

For analysis of February 2020 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-analysis-february-2020.aspx

February 2020 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from February 1 to February 29 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	22AUG13	22AUG13	22AUG13	22AUG97	01APR09
F2A	C	C	C	C	C
F2B	22AUG14	22AUG14	22AUG14	15SEP98	01MAY09
F3	22NOV07	22NOV07	22NOV07	22MAR96	01MAY99
F4	01JUL06	01JUL06	22NOV04	15JAN98	01JUL99

"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	22MAR14	22MAR14	22MAR14	15NOV99	01OCT09
F2A	01DEC19	01DEC19	01DEC19	01DEC19	01DEC19
F2B	22APR15	22APR15	22APR15	15MAY99	01NOV09
F3	22JUL08	22JUL08	22JUL08	15JUL00	01NOV99
F4	22JUL07	22JUL07	22JUL05	01JAN99	01JAN00

February 2020 Visa Bulletin Special Notes

For the official February 2020 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-february-2020.aspx

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

D. RETROGRESSION OF THE "REST OF WORLD" FAMILY FOURTH PREFERENCE FINAL ACTION DATE

As reported in item E of the January Visa Bulletin (number 37), the final action date for the "Rest of World" Family Fourth preference (F4) had been advanced at a very rapid pace during the past two years to generate the required level of demand. The dramatic increase in the level of applicant demand currently being received has required the retrogression of that final action date for the month of February. This has been done in an effort to hold number use within the annual numerical limitation. It is likely that this date will remain in effect for at least the next several months.

E. EMPLOYMENT-BASED THIRD AND THIRD OTHER WORKER VISA AVAILABILTY FOR MARCH

Since October there has been a consistently high level of Employment-based demand, primarily f

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

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (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 2020. The notice listing the eligible countries will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 17, 2020.

For 2020, the acting secretary of Homeland Security has determined, with the concurrence of the Office of the Secretary of State, that the countries designated as eligib

USCIS Formally Announces Implementation of Electronic H-1B Registration Process and the Registration Timeframe

On Jan. 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a Federal Register notice formally announcing the implementation of the H-1B registration process for fiscal year 2021 H^‑1B cap-subject petitions. This notice is required for the initial implementation of the registration process, as stated in the Jan. 31, 2019, H-1B registration final rul

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Customer Relationship Interface System (CRIS) from Saturday, January 11 at 11:00 p.m. until Sunday, January 12 at 6:00 a.m. (EST).

During this timeframe, users may experience technical difficulties with one or more of the following online tools:

• Check My Case Status
• e-Request
• Change of Address Online
• Check Processing Times
• Civil Surgeon Locator
• Office Locator
• File Online
• myUSCIS Online Account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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USCIS Begins Accepting Green Card Applications under Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness

Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will begin accepting applications to adjust status to lawful permanent resident from certain Liberian nationals under Section 7611 of the National Defense Authorization Act (PDF) for Fiscal Year 2020, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF), signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019.

To be eligible for permanent residence (a Green Card) under LRIF, a Liberian national must have been continuously physically present in the United States from Nov. 20, 2014, to the date they properly file an application for adjustment of status. USCIS will accept properly filed applications until Dec. 20, 202