The Immigration Channel

DHS and DOJ Adopt Interim Asylum Rule07/16/2019Today the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") and Department of Justice ("DOJ") jointly published an Interim Rule in the Federal Register that imposes a new requirement on asylum applicants attempting to enter the U.S. ... More

CIS Ombudsman Releases Annual Report 07/15/2019 On Friday, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services ("CIS") Ombudsman released its 2019 Annual Report to Congress. In its announcement to stakeholders, the Department of Homeland Security noted the following: The Ombudsman's Office, created by ... More

August Visa Bulletin Released 07/12/2019The Department of State has released the preliminary August 2019 Visa Bulletin. Though unlikely, this information is subject to change from now until August 1, 2019. Below is a breakdown of the projected final action dates ... More

USCIS Changes Information About Concurrently-Filed I-539s 07/02/2019In an unannounced change, USCIS recently updated its premium processing information webpage to specify it no longer adjudicates I-539s at the same time as I-129s even if the I-539 is concurrently-filed with an I-129 ... More

CIS Ombudsman Announces Teleconference on H-1B Enforcement Issues06/27/2019Yesterday, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman announced it will hold a teleconference on H-1B enforcement issues with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department ... More

USCIS Expands Online FOIA Request System 06/25/2019Today USCIS announced it is expanding the Freedom of Information Act Immigration Records System ("FIRST"). USCIS is implementing the system in phases. When it originally announced the system in May 2018, USCIS limited the ... More

May Visa Bulletin Released 04/16/2019The Department of State has released the preliminary May 2019 Visa Bulletin. Though unlikely, this information is subject to change from now until May 1, 2019. Below is a breakdown of the projected final action dates ... More

FY2020 H-1B Master's Cap Reached 04/12/2019USCIS has announced it received enough H-1B petitions to meet the advanced degree exemption for Fiscal Year 2020, commonly referred to as the "Master's Cap". Last week, USCIS announced it received enough petitions to meet ... More

Forbes Analyzes Rising H-1B Denial Rates 04/10/2019Today Forbes published an article entitled, "New Data Show H-1B Denial Rates Reaching Highest Levels". In this article, Forbes analyzes H-1B denial rate data from USCIS' new H-1B Employer Data Hub. Specifically, Forbes ... More

FY2020 H-1B Regular Cap Reached 04/05/2019Today USCIS announced it received enough petitions to meet the 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap for Fiscal Year 2020. USCIS is now determining whether it has received enough petitions to meet the 20,000 H-1B master's ... More