October 25, 2017
USCIS Rescinds Deference Policy for Nonimmigrant Extension Petitions
On October 23, 2017 USCIS issued a Policy Memorandum rescinding prior guidance that instructed adjudicators to show deference to previously approved petitions in the context of extension. Under the new policy, USCIS adjudicators are no longer required to show deference to prior nonimmigrant approvals,...
read moreOctober 18, 2017
U.S. District Court in Hawaii Blocks Implementation of Travel Ban for 6 out of 8 Countries
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Hawaii District Court Judge Derrick Watson issued a Temporary Restraining Order halting the implementation of President Trump’s most recent travel ban across the country. According to the decision, the U.S. government is prohibited from enforcing and implementing the ban...
read moreSeptember 29, 2017
DHS Issues Notice of Proposed Changes to Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System of Records
On September 18, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published notice of proposed changes to the “DHS/USCIS-ICE-CBP-001 Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System of Records.” The DHS System of Records contains information on all individuals who pass through the immigration process...
read moreSeptember 29, 2017
USCIS Ombudsman Teleconference on new AOS interview requirements
On September 28, 2017, the USCIS Ombudsman’s Office held a teleconference to advise stakeholders on the new requirement for I-140 based Adjustment of Status applicants to appear for interviews. The following is a summary of the information that was provided during that call. All...
read moreSeptember 27, 2017
President Trump Enacts New Travel Ban, Extends to Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela
President Trump signed a proclamation on September 24, 2017, expanding travel restrictions to three new countries: Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela. Some travel restrictions and/or enhanced screening remain in place for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Travel restrictions for nationals...
read more