On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is readying offices to re-open in compliance with local and state orders, on or after June 4. Employees in these offices are continuing to perform mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public while the offices are temporarily closed. During this time, individuals may still submit applications and petitions to USCIS. Online filing remains the most convenient and interactive way to submit forms, check the status of your case, and receive notices.
After a significant delay, the Department of State finally released the Visa Bulletin for May 2020. The table below shows "Final Action (Approval)" cut-off dates and movement from the previous month, for all major employment-based categories. To see filing cut-off dates or family-sponsored categories please go to the Visa Bulletin page linked above. For our unique Visa Bulletin Graphical Tracker, cutoff date predictions and more information please refer to the Visa Bulletin Toolbox.
Employment Based Key Categories - Final Action Dates and Movement from Previous Month:
| Chargeability | Preference | Cut-off Date (Y-M-D) | Movement (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROW | EB1 | C | C |
| ROW | EB2 | C | C |
| ROW | EB3 | 2017-01-01 | 0 |
| China | EB1 | 2017-07-15 | 37 |
| China | EB2 | 2015-10-01 | 30 |
| China | EB3 | 2016-05-15 | 30 |
| India | EB1 | 2015-08-01 | 92 |
| India | EB2 | 2009-06-02 | 8 |
| India | EB3 | 2009-03-01 | 38 |
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it is updating its Policy Manual to align with the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) precedent decision in Matter of Zhang. Decided in June 2019, the BIA held in this decision that false claims of U.S. citizenship do not need to be knowingly made to make an alien deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The Policy Manual also applies the BIA’s decision to the false claim to U.S. citizenship ground of inadmissibility, as it is virtually identical to the ground of deportability.
As you may have noticed, the May Visa Bulletin is severely delayed. We believe this is the result of the upcoming Executive Order that's going to pause immigration for 60 days. There is indication that President Trump may sign the EO as soon as tomorrow (Wednesday), and the Visa Bulletin should be released shortly after that. However, given the "pause," most, if not all, categories will probably become Unavailable.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of certain immigration green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a U.S. economy wrecked by the coronavirus.
Trump said that the move would not impact those in the country on a temporary basis and would apply only to those looking for green cards in hopes of staying. - CNBC
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that petitioners should expect a delay in data entry and receipt notice generation for fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap-subject petitions until at least May 1, 2020, due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Beginning with the first day of filing, April 1, 2020, we will not immediately enter data for FY 2021 cap-subject petitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and required health and safety protocols. Data entry and notice generation will be delayed until at least May 1, 2020.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognizes that there are immigration-related challenges as a direct result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Generally, nonimmigrants must depart the United States before their authorized period of admission expires. However, USCIS is now offering certain relief for people who cannot timely depart or file an extension. Stay tuned for more details.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognizes that there are immigration-related challenges as a direct result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Generally, nonimmigrants must depart the United States before their authorized period of admission expires. However, USCIS is now offering certain relief for people who cannot timely depart or file an extension. Stay tuned for more details.
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. - USCIS
One in four doctors in the U.S. is an immigrant. Thousands of them arrive every year to train in the U.S., and stay to work on temporary visas. Many of them, like Nagarajan, want to be on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. - NPR
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 automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the office closure. You will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if your field office has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center.
If you become ill for any reason, regardless of whether you were exposed to COVID-19, you should not come to appointments at any USCIS office. Please follow the instructions on your appointment notice to reschedule your appointment or interview, if you:
USCIS will help you reschedule your appointment without penalty. Please visit this page for more information: If You Feel Sick, please consider canceling and rescheduling your USCIS appointment.
The Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for April 2020. The table below shows "Final Action (Approval)" cut-off dates and movement from the previous month, for all major employment-based categories. To see filing cut-off dates or family-sponsored categories please go to the Visa Bulletin page linked above. For our unique Visa Bulletin Graphical Tracker, cutoff date predictions and more information please refer to the Visa Bulletin Toolbox.
Employment Based Key Categories - Final Action Dates and Movement from Previous Month:
| Chargeability | Preference | Cut-off Date (Y-M-D) | Movement (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROW | EB1 | 2019-06-01 | 92 |
| ROW | EB2 | C | C |
| ROW | EB3 | 2017-01-01 | 0 |
| China | EB1 | 2017-06-08 | 7 |
| China | EB2 | 2015-09-01 | 17 |
| China | EB3 | 2016-04-15 | 24 |
| India | EB1 | 2015-05-01 | 61 |
| India | EB2 | 2009-05-25 | 3 |
| India | EB3 | 2009-01-22 | 7 |
Read our blog analysis of April 2020 Visa Bulletin.
The number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Italy has shot up by 133 in a day to 366, officials say. The total number of infections leapt 25% to 7,375 from 5,883, according to the Civil Protection agency.
Up to 16 million people in Lombardy and 14 provinces need special permission to travel under new quarantine rules. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country. The restrictions will last until 3 April. - BBC
Return to Immigration News