Great news for Polish nationals. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan, in coordination with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, designated Poland into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Effective November 11, 2019, Polish nationals may travel to the...
USCIS Implements $10 Fee for H-1B Employer Registration
On November 7, 2019, USCIS announced a Final Rule that requires employers seeking to submit petitions to employ H-1B workers to pay a registration fee of $10. The fee is non-refundable. The Final Rule will become effective on December 9, 2019, and will be in place...
DHS Proposing to Charge Fees for Asylum Applications
According to DHS briefing documents obtained by BuzzFeed News, USCIS is planning to publish proposed Federal regulations in January 2020 modifying the fee structure for certain immigration benefits. Most notably, USCIS is allegedly proposing to charge $50 for asylum...
DHS Extends Work Authorization for Salvadorans with TPS to January 2021
DHS has announced that it is extending the validity of work permits to Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through January 4, 2021. In 2018, the Trump Administration announced it was planning to end TPS for Salvadorans, but Federal litigation has thus...
DOS Places Hold on Public Charge Rule Implementation
While it has been widely reported that a preliminary injunction has prevented implementation of the new public charge rule at USCIS, some may not be aware that the U.S. Department of State is planning to implement a similar rule. The Interim Final Rule went into...
Court Temporarily Halts Immigrant Health Insurance Requirement
On November 3, 2019, a Federal judge in Oregon issued a preliminary injunction halting the implementation of President Trump's Presidential Proclamation preventing the entry of immigrants “who will financially burden the United States healthcare system.” The rule was...
DHS Announces Plan to Request Social Media Info from Immigrants
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to request information from immigrants as to their social media accounts and activities over the last five (5) years. DHS published a notice in the Federal Register of its plans. DHS’s stated goal is to gather...
USCIS Updates Policy Manual to Replace Use of “Foreign National”
Despite being understaffed, overworked, and backlogged at historical rates, USCIS has found time to update its Policy Manual to change all references of “foreign national” to “alien.” This change is widely viewed as unnecessary and intended to further stoke...
Trump Proclaims Immigrants Must Have Health Insurance to Enter
On October 4, 2019, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation that purports to prevent the entry of immigrants “who will financially burden the United States healthcare system.” The President has unilaterally decided, without Congressional approval, that an...
Federal Judge Grants Nationwide Preliminary Injunction of Public Charge Rule
On Friday, October 11, 2019, a Federal judge for the Southern District of New York granted a request for a nationwide preliminary injunction of the new Public Charge Rule set to go into effect on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. In short, this injunction is temporary in...