Tuesday, March 31, 2020

USCIS to Continue Processing Applications for Employment Authorization Extension Requests Despite Application Support Center Closures

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it will reuse previously submitted biometrics in order to process valid Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, extension requests due to the temporary closure of Application Support Centers (ASC) to the public in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This announcement is consistent with existing USCIS authorities regarding the agency’s ability to reuse previously submitted biometrics.

Applicants who had an appointment scheduled with an ASC on or after the March 18 closure or has filed an I-765 extension will have their application processed using previously submitted biometrics.  This will remain in effect until ASCs are open for appointments to



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Monday, March 30, 2020

USCIS Expands Flexibility for Responding to USCIS Requests

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it adopted measures to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to certain Requests for Evidence (RFE) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID). This alert clarifies that this flexibility also applies to certain Notices of Intent to Revoke (NOIR) and Notices of Intent to Terminate (NOIT) regional investment centers, as well as certain filing date requirements for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.

Notice/Request/Decision Issuance Date:

This flexibility applies to an RFE, NOID, NOIR, NOIT or appealable decision within AAO jurisdiction and the issuance date listed on the request, notice or decisio



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Sunday, March 29, 2020

H-1B Initial Electronic Registration Selection Process Completed

USCIS has received enough electronic registrations during the initial period to reach the FY 2021 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap). We randomly selected from among the registrations properly submitted. We intend to notify petitioners with selected registrations no later than March 31, 2020, that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration.

Registrants’ online accounts will now show one of the following statuses for each registration (that is, for each beneficiary registered):

  • Submitted: A registration status may continue to show “Submitted” after the initial selection process has been completed. “Submitted” registrations


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Saturday, March 28, 2020

USCIS Announces Flexibility for Requests for Evidence, Notices of Intent to Deny

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it is adopting a measure to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to requests for evidence (RFEs) and notices of intent to deny (NOIDs) dated between March 1 and May 1, 2020.   

For applicants and petitioners who receive an RFE or NOID dated between March 1 and May 1, 2020, any responses submitted within 60 calendar days after the response deadline set for



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Friday, March 27, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Friday, March 27, at 11:59 p.m. through Saturday, March 28, at 3:00 a.m. (EST).

During this time frame, 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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may



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Thursday, March 26, 2020

USCIS Temporarily Closes Rome and Nairobi Offices to the Public

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it has temporarily closed its offices in Rome, Italy, and Nairobi, Kenya, to the public, due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In February, USCIS announced the temporarily suspension of services at its offices in Beijing and Guangzhou, China.

USCIS will post updates on the office pages when the offices are scheduled to reopen. 

USCIS will reschedule all appointments and will continue to respond to email inquiries. Please visit the “Contact Us” sections on our Nairobi and <a target='_blank' href="https:



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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Friday, March 20, at 11:59 p.m. through Saturday, March 21, at 3:00 a.m. (EST).

During this time frame, 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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may



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Monday, March 23, 2020

USCIS Announces Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing for All I-129 and I-140 Petitions Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Alert: While premium processing is suspended, petitioners may submit a request to expedite their petition if it meets the criteria on the Expedite Criteria webpage. It is the petitioner’s responsibility to demonstrate that they meet at least one of the expedite criteria. All expedite requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and requests granted at the discretion of USCIS office leadership.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premi



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Sunday, March 22, 2020

USCIS Announces Flexibility in Submitting Required Signatures During COVID-19 National Emergency

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 National Emergency announced by President Trump on March 13, 2020, we will accept all benefit forms and documents with reproduced original signatures, including the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, for submissions dated March 21, 2020, and beyond.

USCIS already accepts various petitions, applications and other documents bearing an electronically reproduced original signature. This means that a document may be scanned, faxed, photocopied, or similarly reproduced provided that the copy must be of an original document containing an original handwritten signature, unless otherwise specified.<a target='_blank' href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"



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Saturday, March 21, 2020

USCIS Announces Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing for All I-129 and I-140 Petitions Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premium processing service for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions until further notice due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Effective today, March 20, 2020, USCIS will not accept any new requests for premium processing. USCIS will process any petition with a previously accepted Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, in accordance with the premium processing service criteria. However, we will not be able to send notices using pre-paid envelopes. We will only send batch-printed notices. Petitioners who have already filed a <a target='_blank' href="https://www.uscis.



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Friday, March 20, 2020

Initial H-1B Electronic Registration Period Closes March 20

The initial registration period for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B numerical allocations will close at noon Eastern on March 20. Registrations must be properly submitted before noon Eastern on March 20 to be considered in the initial selection process.

If USCIS receives enough registrations during the initial registration period, we will randomly select the number of registrations we project are needed to reach the FY 2021 H-1B numerical allocations and send selection notifications via users’ online accounts. We intend to notify registrants with selected registrations from the initial registration period no later than March 31, 2020, that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selecte



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Visa Bulletin May 2020 Predictions

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

Please see May 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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F108MAR1408MAR1408MAR1408OCT9701JUN10
F2ACCCCC
F2B01JAN1501JAN1501JAN1501JAN9922APR10
F315MAR0815MAR0815MAR0815MAY9608SEP00
F415JUL0615JUL0601JAN0508APR9815AUG00
"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
F108NOV1408NOV1408NOV1415DEC9922JAN11
F2A08APR2008APR2008APR2008APR2008APR20
F2B01AUG1501AUG1501AUG1501SEP9915DEC10
F315NOV0815NOV0815NOV0822JUL0001MAY01
F422AUG0722AUG0708SEP0508FEB9908APR01



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Thursday, March 19, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, March 18, at 11:59 p.m. until Thursday, March 19, at 3:00 am, (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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

USCIS Temporarily Closing Offices to the Public March 18-April 1

Effective March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is suspending in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This suspension of services will be effective until at least April 1. In the meantime, USCIS will provide limited emergency services. Please call the Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.

USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatica



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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

USCIS Announces Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing for FY2021 Cap-Subject Petitions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the temporary suspension of premium processing service for fiscal year (FY) 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions.

Petitioners filing FY 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions will not be able to request premium processing when USCIS begins accepting cap-subject petitions on April 1. Until premium processing resumes for FY 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions, USCIS will reject any Form I-907 concurrently filed with a cap-subject H-1B Form I-129.

As USCIS has done in the past, premium processing will resume in a two-phased approach during the FY 2021 cap season so that USCIS can best manage premium processing requests. The first phase will include FY 2021 cap-subject H-1B petitions, including those



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Friday, March 13, 2020

April 2020 Visa Bulletin Analysis

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

Please see below analysis of April 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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1+2 Months 24 Days+2 Months 24 Days+2 Months 24 Days+7 Days+6 Months
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2B+1 Month 16 Days+1 Month 16 Days+1 Month 16 Days+1 Month 17 Days+4 Months
F3+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month+7 Months 14 Days
F4No ChangeNo Change+14 Days+1 Month+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
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1+2 Months 23 Days+2 Months 23 Days+2 Months 23 Days+9 Days+6 Months
F2A+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month+1 Month
F2B+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 9 Days+4 Months
F3+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 Days+1 Month 17 DaysNo Change+7 Months 14 Days
F4+3 Days+3 Days+14 Days+7 Days+6 Months



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April 2020 Visa Bulletin

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

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

April 2020 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 01JAN14
01JAN14 01JAN14 22SEP97 01MAR10
F2A C C C C C
F2B 01NOV14 01NOV14 01NOV14 01DEC98 01FEB10
F3 01FEB08 01FEB08 01FEB08 08MAY96 15MAY00
F4 01JUL06 01JUL06 22DEC04 15MAR98 01MAY00
"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 01SEP14 01SEP14 01SEP14 01DEC99 01NOV10
F2A 01FEB20 01FEB20 01FEB20 01FEB20 01FEB20
F2B 01JUL15 01JUL15 01JUL15 01AUG99 01OCT10
F3 01OCT08 01OCT08 01OCT08 15JUL00 15JAN01
F4 25JUL07 25JUL07 22AUG05 15JAN99 01JAN01



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April 2020 Visa Bulletin Special Notes

For the official April 2020 Visa Bulletin and analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-april-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. DIVERSITY VISA (DV) AVAILABILTY IN THE COMING MONTHS



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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Thursday, March 12, at 11:59 p.m. until Friday, March 13, at 3:00 am, (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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



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Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Re-Registration Period Now Open for Aliens with TPS under Somalia’s Designation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Somalia’s designation who want to maintain their status through Sept. 17, 2021, must re-register between March 11, 2020 and May 11, 2020.

Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization documents (EADs), have been published in the Federal Register and are available at uscis.gov/tps.

All applicants must submit Form I-821, Applica



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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Tuesday, March 10, at 11:59 p.m. until Wednesday, March 11, at 3:00 am, (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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

<


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Friday, March 6, 2020

USCIS Publishes Federal Register Notices Announcing H-2A and H-2B Petitions Must Include Printed Copy of Electronic Final Determination Form

On March 5, 2020, USCIS published two Federal Register notices regarding the submission of final determination forms with H-2A and H-2B petitions. The notices, one for H-2A and one for H-2B, announce that petitioners must submit a printed copy of the electronic final determination form granting temporary labor certification (TLC) under the H-2A or H-2B programs thro



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Thursday, March 5, 2020

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Thursday, March 5th at 11:59 p.m. until Friday, March 6th 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 Case Processing Times
  • Civil Surgeon Locator
  • Office Locator
  • File Online
  • myUSCIS online account

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

<spa



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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

USCIS Launches New Online Form for Reporting Fraud

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today launched a new online tip form to help the public provide the agency with information about immigration fraud. The new online form, available on the USCIS public website, prompts the form user for the information that the USCIS’ fraud investigators need to investigate allegations of immigration benefit fraud or abuse.

“Safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system is top priority for the Trump administration and is central to the agency’s mission,” said Joseph Edlow, the USCIS deputy director for policy. “One way we protect our im



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Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Re-Registration Period Now Open for Aliens with TPS under Yemen’s Designation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Yemen’s designation who want to maintain their status through Sept. 3, 2021, must re-register between March 2, 2020 and May 1, 2020.

Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization documents (EADs), have been published in the Federal Register (PDF) and are available at <a target



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Monday, March 2, 2020

Initial H-1B Registration Period Opens at Noon Eastern on March 1

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 20. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out prospective petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registrations.

A confirmation number will be assigned to each registration submitted for the FY 2021 H-1B cap. This n



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Sunday, March 1, 2020

USCIS Publishes Updated Guidance on H-2A Petitions for Sheep/Goat Herders

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today published an updated policy memorandum (PDF, 580 KB) (PM) that requires requests for temporary foreign workers for range sheep or goat herding or production to be subject to the same requirements as other temporary agricultural workers.

On Nov. 14, 2019, USCIS issued the “Temporary or Seasonal Need for H-2A Petitions Seeking Workers for Range Sheep and/or Goat Herding or Production” <a target='_blank' href="https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-publishes-guidance-h-2a-petitions-shee



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