Thursday, December 31, 2020

USCIS Extends Transitional Parole for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status Applicants

USCIS announced today that it will automatically extend parole, and employment authorization, if applicable, for parolees who timely applied for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term resident status.  

This specific extension of parole applies only to current parolees who timely filed Form I-955, Application for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status, and <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="983b2b27-2406-41b0-a21b-c5c916fc669c" href="https://www.uscis.gov/i-765" rel="noreferrer" targe



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Monday, December 28, 2020

USCIS Ending Two Categorical Parole Programs

Haitian Family Reunification Parole and Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Programs to be Terminated

WASHINGTON— In keeping with the agency's August 2019 announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a Federal Register notice requesting public comments on revisions to <a target='_blank' href="http://www.uscis.



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Saturday, December 26, 2020

Visa Bulletin February 2021 Predictions

For official January 2021 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-january-2021.aspx

Please see February 2021 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based categories for all countries):

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
F122OCT1422OCT1422OCT1401FEB9801APR12
F2ACCCCC
F2B08AUG1508AUG1508AUG1522MAY9901NOV11
F301AUG0801AUG0801AUG0801SEP9601JUN02
F415OCT0615OCT0622MAR0515JUL9801MAY02
"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
F101SEP1501SEP1501SEP1501MAR0015JAN13
F2A22AUG2022AUG2022AUG2022AUG2022AUG20
F2B01JUN1601JUN1601JUN1622DEC9922JUN12
F301JUL0901JUL0901JUL0922AUG0008APR03
F408OCT0708OCT0701DEC0501MAY9901DEC02



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Thursday, December 24, 2020

USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors who are responding to certain:

  • Requests for Evidence;
  • Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
  • Notices of Intent to Deny;
  • Notices of Intent to Revoke;
  • Notices of Intent to Rescind;
  • Notices of Intent to Terminate regional centers;
  • Motions to Reopen an N-400 Pursuant to 8 CFR 335.5, Receipt of Derogatory Information After Grant;
  • Filing date requirements for Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings (Under Section 336 of the INA); or
  • Filing date requirements for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.

Notice/Request/Decision Issuance D



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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

January 2021 Visa Bulletin

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

For analysis of January 2021 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-analysis-january-2021.aspx

January 2021 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from January 1 to January 31 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 15SEP14
15SEP14 15SEP14 15JAN98 01JAN12
F2A C C C C C
F2B 08JUL15 08JUL15 08JUL15 01MAY99 15AUG11
F3 08JUL08 08JUL08 08JUL08 22AUG96 01MAR02
F4 08OCT06 08OCT06 15MAR05 01JUL98 01FEB02
"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 22JUL15 22JUL15 22JUL15 22FEB00 08OCT12
F2A 01AUG20 01AUG20 01AUG20 01AUG20 01AUG20
F2B 01MAY16 01MAY16 01MAY16 01DEC99 01APR12
F3 01JUN09 01JUN09 01JUN09 15AUG00 22DEC02
F4 15SEP07 15SEP07 22NOV05 22APR99 01SEP02



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January 2021 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For January 2021 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-january-2021.aspx

Please see below analysis of January 2021 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
F1No ChangeNo ChangeNo Change+7 Days+17 Days
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2BNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change+23 Days+14 Days
F3+23 Days+23 Days+23 Days+21 Days+14 Days
F4+16 Days+16 Days+7 Days+9 Days+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
F1No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2BNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F3No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F4No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change



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January 2021 Visa Bulletin Special Notes

For the official January 2021 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-january-2021.aspx

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

D. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON VISA PROCESSING AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PLEASE VISIT THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS WEBSITE AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV

E. SCHEDULED EXPIRATION OF TWO EMPLOYMENT VISA CATEGORIES

The one week continuing resolution signed into law on December 21, 2020 extended both the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) and Employment Fifth Preference Pilot (I5 and R5) Categories until December 28, 2020. Readers should monitor legislative action regarding the future status of these categories beyond that date.

Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR):

If there is further legislative action extending this category, the December dates would continue to be applied, potentially for the remainder of the month. If there is no legislative action



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Monday, December 21, 2020

USCIS Updates Discretionary Criteria for Case-by-Case Interview Determinations of Adjustment of Status Applications Based on Refugee or Asylee Status

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updated guidance (PDF, 319.68 KB) expanding the discretionary criteria USCIS officers use to determine whether to interview applicants filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, based on refugee or asylee status.

The updated criteria are well within the parameters of USCIS' regulatory authority to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether an interview is necessary to determine the admissibility of an alien applying fo



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Thursday, December 17, 2020

Update: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

In compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is:

  • Accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court's December 4, 2020, order;
  • Accepting DACA renewal requests based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court's December 4, 2020, order;
  • Accepting applications for advance parole documents based on the terms of the DACA policy prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court's December


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Monday, December 14, 2020

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Vacates the Strengthening the H-1B Program Interim Final Rule

A Dec. 1, 2020, order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program Interim Final Rule (PDF) (IFR). The Dec. 1 order prevents the IFR from taking effect, and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from implementing the IFR. USCIS will fully comply with the court's decision.

DHS published the H-1B Strengthening IFR in the Federal Register on Oct. 8, 2020, with a 60-day effective date; the IFR was scheduled to go into effect on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. The IFR was intended to better protect U.S. workers, improve the integrity of the H-1B program, and better ensure that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioner



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Thursday, December 10, 2020

USCIS Updates Guidance for Schedule A Occupations

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updated guidance for adjudicating EB-2 and EB-3 Schedule A petitions for registered nurses, physical therapists, and aliens of exceptional ability.

The update does not change any policy, but does clarify how USCIS adjudicators should apply Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor (DOL) regulations when deciding these Schedule A petitions. Generally, EB-2 and EB-3 petitioners must obtain a labor certification from DOL that verifies that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the petition. However, for certain occupations, known as Schedule A, DOL has pre-certified this so the petitioners do not need to obtain a labor certification from DOL. Instead, EB-2 and EB-3 Schedule A petitioners file the Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, and uncertified labor certification



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Monday, December 7, 2020

USCIS Expands Interviews for Refugees and Asylees Petitioning for Family Members

USCIS has issued a policy memorandum (PDF, 277.32 KB) directing the phased expansion of in-person interviews for petitioners filing Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. These additional interviews will provide an opportunity to evaluate a petitioner's credibility, supporting our mission to detect and prevent fraud and risks of harm to the United States and ensure the integrity of the immigration system. Eligibility requirements for Form I-730 benefits remain the same.

USCIS has historically required interviews of all Form I-730 beneficiaries res



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Thursday, December 3, 2020

USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap on H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of fiscal year 2021. Nov. 16 was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2021. USCIS will reject new cap-subject H-2B petitions received after Nov. 16, that request an employment start date before April 1, 2021.

On Nov. 16, the number of beneficiaries USCIS received petitions for surpassed the total number of remaining H-2B visas available for the H-2B cap for the first half of FY 2021. In accordance with regulations, USCIS determined it was necessary to use a computer-generated process, commonly known as a lottery, to ensure the fair and orderly allocation of H-2B visa numbers to meet, but not exceed, the cap for the f



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