Cantey Hanger Immigration News Updates

Department of State’s Charlie Oppenheim’s Comments on November 2019 Visa Bulletin   The Employment-Based 1st preference categories (EB-1) will continue to advance at the pace previously

The Department of State’s Charlie Oppenheim projects that the employment-based EB1 category will move up to 3 months for the worldwide and China categories, and

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has started to conduct site visits of employers who employ F-1 students on STEM Optional Practical Training.  Please visit

The I-9 form currently in use expires August 31, 2019. USCIS has advised that employers should continue using Form I-9 available on https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central, which is

Even though the September Visa Bulletin indicates cut-off dates for the EB-3 category, the State Department has advised that the entire EB-3 category is now

In the past when an I-539 was filed simultaneously with an H-1B petition that requested premium processing, USCIS as a courtesy would typically adjudicate the

The Final Action Dates chart must be used for employment-based preference filings. The Dates for Filing chart must be used for family-based preference filings. Applicants

Reports indicate ICE will be targeting up to 2,000 family units with removal orders in the following ten locations: Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami;

Beginning in May 2019, I-94 numbers will be alphanumeric. Currently, I-94 numbers are 11 digits long and only contain numbers.  I-94 numbers will remain at

On May 20, USCIS will begin premium processing for FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change of status on their Form I-129, Petition for

Denials for H-1B skilled worker visas jumped to a 10-year high in the first quarter of 2019. The denial rate was 24% in FY2018, quadrupling

On April 10, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated regular cap and the U.S. advanced

Premium processing will be offered in a two-phased approach during the FY 2020 cap season so USCIS can best manage the premium processing requests without

USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, March 12, for all H-1B petitions.

The rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on February 20, 2019, and is currently pending review. Once OMB completes its

USCIS recently updated its website with information regarding the agency’s practice of denying pending Form I-131 advance parole applications for abandonment due to international travel. Specifically, USCIS

DHS has updated their rule making agenda page with the possible effects of H4 EAD withdrawal along with estimated publish date to Nov, 2018 (11/00/2018). We will

On Oct. 1, USCIS began using digital tablets to administer the English reading and writing tests during naturalization interviews as part of the agency’s ongoing

USCIS announced that it would begin implementing its June 28, 2018, memo, Updated Guidance for the Referral of Cases and Issuance of Notices to Appear

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it is adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for

FROM USCIS: USCIS is extending the previously announced temporary suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions and, beginning Sept. 11, 2018, will be expanding this temporary

Every lawful permanent resident 18 years of age and over is required to carry with them at all times their green card. Failure to do