Wednesday, January 31, 2024

USCIS Issues Final Rule to Adjust Certain Immigration and Naturalization Fees

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees for the first time since 2016. The final rule will allow USCIS to recover a greater share of its operating costs and support more timely processing of new applications.

The final rule is the result of a comprehensive fee review, as required by law, and follows the January 2023 publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking. The review concluded that the current fee schedule falls far short in recovering the full cost of agency operations, including the necessary expansion of humanitarian programs, federally mandated pay raises, add



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Monday, January 29, 2024

USCIS Changes Fee Payment Process for Filing In-Person

We are starting a new process for most applicants, petitioners, and requestors, and their attorneys and accredited representatives to pay for certain benefit request forms by mail or remotely instead of in person at a field office. Under the new process, applicants may mail either a check or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, to the field office with their benefit request. Applicants, petitioners, and requestors, and their attorneys and accredited representatives should carefully read the filing instructions to ensure that their benefit request form can be submitted by mail or remotely and that they are filing at the correct location. We will return any incorrect filings to



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Saturday, January 27, 2024

Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status

Redesignation Allows Additional Eligible Syrian Nationals to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization Documents 

WASHINGTON Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, from April 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Syria that prevent individuals from safely returning. The corresponding Federal Register notice provides information about how to register as a new or current beneficiary for TPS under Syria 's extension and redesignation.

Secretary Mayorkas made the decision to extend and redes



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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

USCIS Updates Guidance on Untimely Filed Extension of Stay and Change of Status Requests

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced an update to its Policy Manual providing that USCIS, in our discretion and under certain conditions, may excuse a nonimmigrant's failure to timely file an extension of stay or change of status request if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the applicant or petitioner.

The update (PDF, 312.15 KB) clarifies th



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Monday, January 22, 2024

Visa Bulletin March 2024 Predictions

For official February 2024 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-february-2024.aspx

Please see March 2024 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based categories for all countries):

Let us know in the comments below what your prediction is for March 2024 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
F108MAR1508MAR1508MAR1515MAY0122APR12
F2A01MAR2001MAR2001MAR2001MAR2001MAR20
F2B15NOV1515NOV1515NOV1508JAN0401DEC11
F308MAY0908MAY0908MAY0908OCT9801JUL02
F415JUN0715JUN0708DEC0508OCT0015NOV02
"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
F108OCT1708OCT1708OCT1715JUN0508JUN15
F2A22SEP2322SEP2322SEP2301OCT2322SEP23
F2B15FEB1715FEB1715FEB1722OCT0408NOV13
F308MAR1008MAR1008MAR1022JUN0101DEC03
F408MAR0808MAR0815MAR0608MAY0122MAY04



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Monday, January 15, 2024

Cap Reached for Additional Returning Worker H-2B Visas for the First Half of FY 2024

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 20,716 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the first half of fiscal year 2024 with start dates on or before March 31, 2024, under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (FY 2024 TFR). Jan.9, 2024, was the final receipt date for petitions requesting supplemental H-2B visas under the FY 2024 first half returning worker allocation.

We are still accepting petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers with start dates on or before March 31, 2024, for the additional 20,000 visas allotted for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa



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Saturday, January 13, 2024

USCIS to Launch Organizational Accounts, Enabling Online Collaboration and Submission of H-1B Registrations

Will Also Introduce Online Filing for I-129 H-1B Petitions and H-1B I-907 Premium Processing Service 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the upcoming launch of a package of customer experience improvements for H-1B cap season. The measures are expected to increase efficiency and ease collaboration for organizations and their legal representatives.

USCIS will launch organizational accounts for non-cap filings and the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap season. The introduction of organizational accounts will allow multiple individuals within an organization, such as a company or other business entity, and their legal representatives to collaborate on and prepare H-1B registrations, Form I-129, Petiti



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Friday, January 12, 2024

February 2024 Visa Bulletin

For January 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-january-2024.aspx

For analysis of February 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-analysis-february-2024.aspx

February 2024 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 01JAN15
01JAN15 01JAN15 01MAY01 01MAR12
F2A 08FEB20 08FEB20 08FEB20 01FEB20 08FEB20
F2B 01OCT15 01OCT15 01OCT15 22OCT03 22OCT11
F3 22APR09 22APR09 22APR09 08SEP98 08JUN02
F4 22MAY07 22MAY07 15NOV05 15SEP00 15OCT02
"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 01SEP17 01SEP17 01SEP17 01APR05 22APR15
F2A 01SEP23 01SEP23 01SEP23 01SEP23 01SEP23
F2B 01JAN17 01JAN17 01JAN17 01AUG04 01OCT13
F3 01MAR10 01MAR10 01MAR10 15JUN01 08NOV03
F4 01MAR08 01MAR08 22FEB06 15APR01 22APR04



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February 2024 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For February 2024 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-february-2024.aspx

Please see below analysis of February 2024 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 ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2A+3 Months 7 Days+3 Months 7 Days+3 Months 7 Days+3 Months 10 Days+3 Months 7 Days
F2BNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F3No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F4No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
"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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Saturday, January 6, 2024

USCIS Issues Policy Guidance on “Ability to Pay” Requirement When Adjustment of Status Applicants Change Employers

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today issued policy guidance (PDF, 322.3 KB) on how we analyze an employer's ability to pay the proffered wage for immigrant petitions in certain first, second, and third preference employment-based immigrant visa classifications, including instances when the sponsored worker is changing employers. 

Generally, employers seeking to classify prospective or current employees under the first-, second-, and third-preference employment-based immigrant visa classifications that require a job offer must demonstrate their continuing ability to pay the proffered wage to the benefic



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