On Wednesday, October 26, 2016  the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in the Federal Register that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is extending the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, effective December 25, 2016, through June 24, 2018.

On October 26, 2016, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended for a period of 18 months, effective December 25, 2016, through June 24, 2018. This extension allows eligible Nepalese nationals (and aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Nepal) to…

USCIS has determined that most applicants in the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories can use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart in the DOS Visa Bulletin for November 2016. However, employment-based, fifth preference applicants must use the Application Final Action Dates chart in the November 2016 Visa Bulletin. The specific guidance from USCIS.gov is as follows: For Family-Sponsored Filings: You must use…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, OCTOBER 21, 2016, released policy guidance on extreme hardship determinations regarding certain relatives. This final guidance is one of the lesser known initiatives announced under President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. This guidance becomes effective December 5, 2016. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing the latest…

Step 1: Contact (800) 375-5283 Contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at (800) 375-5283 or submit an online request. NCSC can help customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups with case-related inquiries and expedites. Step 2: NCSC Follow-Up Email If more than 30 days have passed since you contacted NCSC and the issue has not…

On October 18, 2016, USCIS released the latest updated processing time reports, with processing dates as of August 31, 2016, for the California Service Center (CSC), the Nebraska Service Center (NSC), the Texas Service Center (TSC), the Vermont Service Center (VSC), the Potomac Service Center (YSC), the National Benefits Center (NBC), and the Immigrant Investor (EB-5) Program.

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Departmental Offices announced that the Interest Rate Paid on Cash Deposited to Secure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Immigration Bonds will be set at an interest rate of 0.31 per centum per annum.   The change will be effective for the period beginning October 1, 2016, and ending on December 31,…

Department of State in a Liaison Meeting on October 6, 2016 announced that a TN visa is not employer specific. DOS takes the position that if the TN worker changes employers, the TN visa remains valid until it expires or is revoked. When a worker changes employers, however, DOS suggests that the TN worker should…

1. The Department made the formal public announcement of the Diversity Visa (DV) 2018 program on September 16, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Posts may now access an English language version of the DV-2018 instructions bulletin from travel.state.gov (TSG). 2. The Immigration and Nationality Act states that no DVs shall be provided for “high admission” countries…

Last year, an organization known as the Louisiana Family Forum lobbied Louisiana legislators for a bill that would curb a supposed epidemic of “marriage fraud”.  A state representative, Valarie Hodges, obliged and introduced the bill to the state legislature. Both claim to be a voice for “traditional families” amid the country’s latest wave of nativism….