U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it is exempting the biometric services fee for Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. Beginning Oct. 1, we are exempting the $85 biometric services fee as part of the application process for Form I-539. You do not need to pay the fee if your application...Read More

Release Date: September 20, 2023 Redesignation Allows Additional Eligible Venezuelan Nationals in the U.S. to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization Documents WASHINGTON — Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from...Read More

Release Date: September 27, 2023 WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in consultation with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, announced the designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). By November 30, 2023, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will be updated to allow citizens and nationals of Israel...Read More

Release Date 09/18/2023 On Sept. 13, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a decision finding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Final Rule unlawful and expanding the original July 16, 2021 injunction and order of vacatur to cover the Final Rule. However, the court maintained a partial stay of the order...Read More

Release Date 09/11/2023 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reminds affirmative asylum applicants that, starting Sept. 13, 2023, you must bring an interpreter to your asylum interview if you are not fluent in English or wish to proceed with your interview in a language other than English. If you need an interpreter and do not bring one,...Read More

Do you employ Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Beneficiaries? If so, they may be eligible for an up to 540-day extension of their EAD.  If an individual with TPS or a pending TPS application applies to renew their TPS Employment Authorization Document (EAD) on or before October 26, 2023, according to the relevant Federal Register notice...Read More

September 5, 2023 On Sept. 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a notice in the Federal Register that provides Special Student Relief (SSR) employment benefits for F-1 nonimmigrant students from South Sudan who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a result of emergent circumstances in their country of citizenship. This notice extends relief from Nov....Read More

Release Date: September 5, 2023 Redesignation Allows Additional Eligible South Sudanese Nationals to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization DocumentsWASHINGTON – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, from November 4, 2023, through May 3, 2025, due to ongoing armed...Read More

Last Updated: September 1, 2023 All receipts for payment of Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees issued before October 1, 2022, will expire September 30, 2023. There will be no extensions of fee validity. Applicants must schedule an appointment or submit an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023 to avoid paying a new fee. Please note...Read More

August 24, 2023 PurposeU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS PolicyManual to clarify that USCIS considers the recent February 14, 2023, policy change to be anextraordinary circumstance that may excuse the “sought to acquire” requirement under the ChildStatus Protection Act (CSPA) in particular situations.1 BackgroundThe CSPA protects certain beneficiaries...Read More