U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on May 28,2020 that it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in phases over the next month.

Effective June 1, 2020, USCIS will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all eligible Form I-140 petitions.

Effective June 8, USCIS will accept premium processing requests for:

• H-1B petitions filed before June 8 that are pending adjudication and are cap-exempt.
• All other Form I-129 petitions (non H-1B petitions) for nonimmigrant classifications eligible for premium processing filed before June 8 that are pending adjudication.

Effective June 15, USCIS plans on resuming premium processing for:

• H-1B petitions requesting premium processing by filing an I-907 concurrently with their I-129 (or request for a petition filed on or after June 8) and are exempt from the cap because:
• The employer is cap-exempt or because the beneficiary will be employed at a qualifying cap-exempt institution, entity or organization (such as an institution of higher education, a nonprofit research organization or a governmental research organization); or
• The beneficiary is cap-exempt based on a Conrad/IGA waiver under INA section 214(l).

Effective June 22, USCIS plans on resuming premium processing for all other Form I-129 petitions, including:

• All H-1B cap-subject petitions (including those for fiscal year 2021), including change of status from F-1 nonimmigrant status, for both premium processing upgrades and concurrently filed I-907s.
• All other Form I-129 petitions for nonimmigrant classifications eligible for premium processing and requesting premium processing by filing an I-907 concurrently with their I-129.

Certain USCIS field offices and asylum offices will resume non-emergency face-to-face services to the public beginning June 4, 2020 .

Application support centers will resume services at a later date.

USCIS has enacted precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in reopened facilities:

• Visitors may have to answer health screening questions before entering a facility and can not enter the facility more than 15 minutes prior to their appointment (30 minutes for naturalization ceremonies).
• Hand sanitizer will be provided for visitors at entry points.
• Members of the public must wear facial coverings that cover both the mouth and nose when entering facilities and must follow social distancing guidelines.
• Individuals are encouraged to bring their own black or blue ink pens.

 Visitors may not enter a USCIS facility if they:
o Have any symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever or difficulty breathing;
o Have been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days; or
o Have been individually directed to self-quarantine or self-isolate by a health care provider or public health official within the last 14 days.

On June 1, 2020, National Visa Center will no longer accept or respond to inquiries through mail.

Any unsolicited mail post-marked June 1, 2020 or later will not receive a response and will be destroyed.
All inquires must be placed through the Public Inquiry Form at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry.

National Visa Center will only accept mail if explicitly instructed to forward such mail through an email, telephone call, or letter from National Visa Center.

In most cases, this request for documentation will be for a case that is not processing electronically. If necessary for your case, NVC will provide you with a mailing address.
Tips for interacting with NVC:

1. Visit https://nvc.state.gov for detailed instructions on processing a case with the NVC .

2. Use the Public Inquiry Form at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry if you cannot find the answer to your question at: https://nvc.state.gov or https://ceac.state.gov.

3. Visit https://nvc.state.gov/timeframes to check our processing dates.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on May 1, 2020 that the agency is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020.

USCIS will consider a response to certain requests and notices received within 60 calendar days after the response due date set in the request or notice before taking action.

Applicants and petitioners who are responding to the following will be allowed an extra period of time to respond:
Requests for Evidence; Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14); Notices of Intent to Deny; Notices of Intent to Revoke; Notices of Intent to Rescind and Notices of Intent to Terminate regional investment centers; and Filing date requirements for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.

This flexibility applies to the above documents if the issuance date listed on the request, notice or decision is between March 1 and July 1, 2020, inclusive.

A complaint has been filed in U.S. federal court on behalf of six U.S. citizens who were denied federal stimulus checks because they filed joint tax returns with spouses who use an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to pay taxes. ITINS are issued by the Internal Revenue Service to non-citizens who lack a social security number so they can pay taxes. The lawsuit filed by MALDEF challenges the constitutionality of the CARES Act, arguing that it discriminates against mixed-status couples because it treats them differently than other married couples, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment guarantees of equal protection and due process.
(Amador, et al., v. Mnuchin, et al., 4/28/20)