Today, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh C. Johnson announced the implementation of new security enhancements to the visa waiver program. These changes will apply to both new and current members (38 countries) of the program. Some of…
Yearly Archives: 2015
CBP Implements “BE-Mobile Air Test”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notified the public that it intends to conduct a test to collect biometric and biographic information from certain foreign travelers who are departing the United States on selected flights from up to ten identified U.S.…
Posted in Updates
June 25: Visa Update – State Department Computer Glitch
The State Department reports that nearly 50 U.S. embassies and consulates, representing nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the nonimmigrant visa demand worldwide, are now online and issuing visas. Consular posts around the world issued more than 60,000 visas on June…
Posted in Updates
June 24: Visa Update – State Department Computer Glitch
As of noon on June 24, 2015, the State Department reports that 39 embassies/consulates are back up and running. The list of 39 is as follows: Paris Monterrey Ciudad Juarez Guangzhou Beijing Shanghai Tijuana Nuevo Laredo Mexico City Guadalajara Mumbai…
Posted in Updates
UPDATED: State Department Update on Computer Glitch Impacting Visa Issuance
The State Department is in the process of resolving technical problems with its visa systems which have been down since June 9th, 2015. U.S. embassies and consulates around the world have not been able to issue visas since then. The…
Posted in Updates
Computer Glitch Halts Visa Issuance at All U.S. Embassies and Consulates Around the World
The Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with its overseas passport and visa systems around the world. This means that all U.S. embassies and consulates are currently unable to print nonimmigrant visas (and immigrant…
Posted in Updates
USCIS Clarifies Guidance Concerning Suspension of Premium Processing for H-1B Extension Petitions
On May 22, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its May 19 alert concerning the suspension of premium processing for any H-1B extension petitions. The original guidance created much confusion as to what kinds of cases were…
Posted in Updates
Filing Guidance for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses Now Available
On May 20, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a guidance for eligible H-4 dependent spouses who want to apply for employment authorization under the “Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses” final rule. The information is…
Posted in Updates
USCIS Temporarily Suspends Premium Processing for H-1B Extension Petitions
Starting May 26, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B extension petitions until July 27, 2015. During this time frame, petitioners will not be able to file an extension of the…
Posted in Updates
Holy Moly! USCIS Received a Record of Nearly 233,000 H-1B Petitions!
USCIS Update: USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7, 2015 that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for…
Posted in Updates
