Category: Immigration

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-09-05/pdf/2017-18653.pdf Department of State posted a Federal Register 60-day notice and request for comments on a new eMedical system into which panel physicians will input visa applicants’ medical exam information. DOS anticipates a full rollout by the end of 2018. Comments are due 11/6/17. (82 FR 42010, 9/5/17) “Approved panel physicians will be granted access to an eMedical system by

CBP Deploys Biometric Exit Technology to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on August 8, 2017 the deployment of facial recognition biometric exit technology to McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas for one daily flight from the United States to Guadalajara, Mexico. Using the flight manifest, CBP builds a flight specific photo gallery using

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Embassy in Bern announced on February 1, 2017, the expansion of Global Entry to citizens of Switzerland. Global Entry, a CBP Trusted Traveler Program, allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Swiss citizens can begin applying for Global Entry on February 1, 2017 following clearance from the Swiss Federal

https://www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo The USCIS Announcement for September 2017 states that both family-based and employment-based adjustment of status applicants must use the “Final Action Dates” chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin. https://travel.state.gov/

As of August 1, 2017, Nebraska Service Center transferred some of the Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, filed by some applicants with a pending asylum application seeking an initial Employment Authorization Document cases to the Texas Service Center: Please visit the USCIS Workload Transfer Updates page for more information.

The Foreign Affairs Manual states the dependent of a principal in the US in a Non-immigrant visa (NIV) status may obtain the NI Visa as long as the principal maintains the status in the U.S. 9 FAM 402.1-6 ISSUANCE OF NONIMMIGRANT VISAS (NIV) TO SPOUSES AND/OR CHILDREN WHEN PRINCIPAL IS IN STATUS BUT HAS NO VISA. Derivative beneficiaries are entitled

  Lawful permanent residents who file the online Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, without assistance from an attorney or accredited representative, can now file their form and upload evidence entirely on a mobile device. There are no substantive changes to the policy or content of the form, and the online version has parity with the questions and

POLICY ALERT – Biometrics Requirements for Naturalization July 26, 2017 https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Updates.html ​U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to specify that every naturalization applicant must provide biometrics regardless of age, unless the applicant qualifies for a fingerprint waiver due to certain medical conditions.

USCIS Resumes H-1B Premium Processing for Certain Cap-Exempt Petitions U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will resume premium processing for certain cap-exempt H-1B petitions effective immediately; July 24, 2017. The H-1B visa has an annual cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year. Additionally, there is an annual “master’s cap” of 20,000 petitions filed for beneficiaries with a U.S. master’s degree

Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W Foreign visitors to the U.S. arriving via air or sea no longer need to complete paper Customs and Border Protection Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record or Form I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Record. Those who need to prove their legal-visitor status-to employers, schools/universities or government agencies-can access their CBP arrival/departure record information online. CBP now gathers