Dramatic Increase in I-485 Filing Fees Coming

This has been published in the Federal Register and will take effect at some point soon. We will update this as more information becomes available. Regulations.gov is the full notice of rulemaking.

Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for Certain Renewal Applicants

Final Rule Effective May 4, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is temporarily amending existing DHS regulations related to expiring employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain renewal applicants. The prior extension period of up to 180 days will automatically increase to up to 540 days from the expiration date …

USCIS Agrees to Restore Path for Permanent Residence for TPS Beneficiaries

A significant agreement has been reached to permit the adjustment of certain Foreign Nationals with potential who would otherwise be barred from receiving Legal Permanent Residence due to a prior removal order or a lack of legal entry. This results from a US District Court case for the District of Columbia, CARCEN vs JADDOH (Originally vs CUCCINELLI), and will be …

EB-5 Program Re-Authorized (3/15/22)

In quick summary, the reauthorization contains the following provisions: The EB-5 Regional Center program was reauthorized as amended on March 15, 2022 effective on various dates and will be in effect through September 30, 2027. USCIS will issue additional guidance shortly. The investment amounts will increase to $800,000 for a targeted employment area (TEA) and infrastructure investments and $1,050,000 for …

“Camp Marriages” Recognized Again

Effective immediately, USCIS officers will recognize a derivative refugee or asylee if there is evidence of an informal marriage where the spouses were unable to have their marriage legally recognized in the place of celebration because of their flight from persecution and circumstances beyond their control, or due to restrictive laws or practices in their country of origin or country …

TPS Designation for HAITI!

On May 26, 2021, the USCIS Public Engagement Division recently sent its email stating: On May 22, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced a new 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. The effective date will be the date of publication of an upcoming Federal Register notice (FRN). This new TPS designation will enable Haitian nationals …

WAITING ON THE MEXICAN BORDER!

Since reversing the prior administration’s inhumane border policy barring asylum applicants from refuge in the United States during the pendency of their claims, the US government has been working to eliminate the many problems the sudden influx of asylees on the border. One of the program changes is called the Migrant Protection Protocols which authorizes those who had been waiting …

President’s Executive Order Restoring America’s Welcome to Immigrants

The President has issued an Executive Order which changes the policy direction of the Federal agencies which implement the immigration system. This order, issued February 2, 2021, has already had changed policy in substantial ways, including the recent reversion of the plan to modify the Naturalization Civics test in ways that would have meant substantially more denials, based on a …

4th Circuit Affirms Blocking of Trump Executive Order on Refugees

Today, January 8, 2021, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit affirmed the preliminary injunction of the Maryland US District Court blocking the President’s Executive Order 13,888 attempting to create an “opt-in” system requiring that both a state and a locality provide their affirmative consent before refugees will be resettled there, thereby substantially burdening and blocking the settlement …