by Kyle Knapp | Jan 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
After more than two years since USCIS faced a court challenge over its last fee increase attempt, the agency is back again with tin cup in hand. The proposed rule from January 4, 2023 has moderate increases for some petitions and applications and staggering increases...
by Kyle Knapp | Dec 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
From time to time, we hear reports of naturalization ceremonies around the country. It’s usually around a major federal holiday, such as Independence Day. There often is a scene showing the new citizens holding American flags, and then the news is on to the next item....
by Kyle Knapp | Nov 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
A year ago, the State Department had a backlog of 500,000 people waiting on green card (immigrant visa) interviews at U.S. consulates and embassies around the world. Although some of those offices still had long wait times for work visas, most had gotten back to more...
by Kyle Knapp | Oct 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
I recently was asked, “What’s all this with the governors of Texas and Florida putting people on airplanes and buses and sending them to Martha’s Vineyard and New York City?” The short answer: Politics. It all boils down to political stunts that do little more than...
by Kyle Knapp | Sep 9, 2022 | Uncategorized
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been burning the midnight oil in recent months to ensure maximum usage of the 281,507 available green cards in the employment-based categories, of which EB-2 and EB-3 are the most common, for the federal fiscal year ending...
by Kyle Knapp | Aug 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, USCIS announced that it would accept copies of original signatures for petitions and applications sent to USCIS in paper form. Previously, there was haphazard guidance and practice over when and on what forms USCIS would...
by Kyle Knapp | Jul 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
Sometimes there is confusion about applying for lawful permanent resident status and naturalization. Applying for lawful permanent resident status (to obtain a green card to reside in the United States indefinitely) often involves sponsorship by an employer or a...
by Kyle Knapp | Jun 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hosted a public engagement session on May 18, 2022 to report on backlog reduction efforts. Even before the pandemic processing times were reaching crisis proportions. The pandemic took the agency nearly to the breaking point....
by Kyle Knapp | May 9, 2022 | Uncategorized
USCIS continues its efforts to address the enormous backlogs that the pandemic aggravated. The latest announcement is a temporary rule to increase the automatic extension period for employment authorization documents (EADs) from 180 days to 540 days beyond the current...
by Kyle Knapp | Apr 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
In October 2020 Congress enacted legislation to allow USCIS to expand premium processing to several types of immigration benefit petitions and applications. USCIS finally published a proposed rule in March 2022 to offer the optional, expedited processing for...
