2021 Immigration Legal Updates
Immigration Legal Updates
Immigration Legal Updates
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Medical Exam Reports (I-693) Temporarily Accepted by USCIS If Older Than 60 Days
December 9, 2021. USCIS temporarily lifts its requirement that the medical exams that adjustment of status applicants submit on Form I-693 contain a physician's signature that's no more than 60 days old.
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November 10, 2021 Husbands and wives of L-1 intracompany transferees who come to the U.S. on L-2 visas will no longer need to submit an I-765 form and receive a work permit (EAD) card in order to accept U.S. employment.
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Changes to List of H-2B Visa-Eligible Countries Announced by DHS
November 10, 2021. The H-2B visa allows foreign nationals to come to the United State to temporarily fill certain nonagricultural jobs, but only if they are from one of certain eligible countries; the list of which has recently been changed.
Immigration Legal Updates
Immigration Legal Updates
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Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Opens October 7, 2020
October 6, 2021. A new government fiscal year brings a new opportunity to submit an entry in the diversity visa lottery, and win a chance to apply for a U.S. green card.
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Citizens of Croatia Can Now Travel to the U.S. Using the Visa Waiver Program
December 1, 2021 Croatian nationals can now enter the U.S. and spend up to 90 days in the country without first obtaining a visitors' visa (B-1 or B-2), due to new participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
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Liberian Refugees Adjusting Status Under LRIF Law Might Be Citizenship-Eligible Immediately
October 4, 2021 Based on the LRIF's so-called “rollback” provision, most Liberians receiving green cards under this law will not have to wait the normal five years before applying to naturalize.
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COVID-19 Vaccinations Now Required for Applicants Applying for Green Card or Refugee Status
October 1, 2021 Whether you apply for refugee entry or an immigrant visa and green card through an overseas U.S. consulate or apply for a green card via adjustment of status while living in the United States, you will need to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
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September 9, 2021 If you have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as a national of either El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, or Sudan, the U.S. government has extended your status, and your work permission, through December 31, 2022.
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Deferred Enforced Departure Status Granted to Residents of Hong Kong Currently in the U.S.
August 5, 2021 Residents of Hong Kong currently in the U.S. will be temporarily protected from removal (deportation), by a presidential grant of "Deferred Enforced Departure" or DED, lasting 18 months.
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Somalians With TPS Can Stay Into 2023; Some New Applications Will Be Accepted
July 19, 2021 Biden Administration announces that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended for Somalians in the United States through March 17, 2023.
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** LEGAL UPDATE ** With the world slowed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it will give applicants and petitioners who are responding to various requests for more information more time, if the notices were dated between
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EB-5 Investor Visas Minimum Dollar Amount Keeps Changing
June 22, 2021 The new regulations increasing the minimum investment amount for people seeking permanent residence through the EB-5 visa program to $1 million has been struck down by a federal court, but could eventually be brought back.
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AG Garland Overturns Trump-Era Decision Undermining Asylum for Victims of Gender and Gang Violence
June 16, 2021 Attorney General Merrick Garland overrules Trump-era ruling denying that many victims of domestic violence may qualify for asylum in the United States.
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USCIS Eases Process for Crime Victims Applying for U Visas
June 14, 2021, New USCIS policy provides a pathway for U visa petitioners to receive employment authorization and deferred action status much sooner than before.
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Biden Administration's First Changes to U.S. Immigration Policy
February 2, 2021 President Biden's initial actions concerning immigration address DACA, the border wall, enforcement and deportation priorities, Liberian DED, and more.
Immigration Legal Updates
Immigration Legal Updates
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June 8, 2021 Bad news for TPS holders seeking to adjust status to permanent resident and obtain a green card: The Supreme Court says if their last entry to the U.S. was unlawful or they've worked without authorization, they cannot use the procedure known as "adjustment of status" to apply for a green card.
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International Entrepreneurs Can Apply for Parole Entry to U.S.
May 10, 2021. USCIS is accepting applications from international entrepreneurs seeking parole entry to the United States.
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USCIS Ends Policy of Rejecting Applications Containing Blank Spaces
April 1, 2021 USCIS ends policy of rejecting applications containing boxes that aren't filled in even though they were irrelevant to the applicant.
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USCIS Issues 2021 Poverty Guidelines: Raises Required Income Level for Family Sponsors of Immigrants
April 1, 2021 A U.S. sponsor filling out Form I-864 must prove that his or her income or assets are high enough to support the intending immigrants; and the 2021 guidelines require higher than ever support levels.
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Burma Designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
March 11, 2021 Biden Administration announces it is designating Burma for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), such that people from Burma who happen to be in the U.S. on this date can put off departure and register to stay temporarily.
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Filling Out Immigration Forms? You Might Be Able to Skip Some Public-Charge-Related Questions
March 10, 2021 If you're filling out one of the extension or change of status immigration forms before an updated version comes out (sometime after March of 2021), you can skip the questions related to receipt of public benefits.
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March 9, 2021 DHS announces that it will no longer attempt to push Trump-era public charge rules, which created a "wealth test" for immigrants, through the appeals court system. The new rule is on its way to being permanently vacated.
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Venezuela Designated for Temporary Protected Status
March 8, 2021 Biden Administration designates Venezuela for TPS, and registration opens immediately.
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March 4, 2021 Supreme Court holds that in cancellation of removal proceedings, the non-citizen's burden of proof extends to showing that a crime did not involve moral turpitude.
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TPS for Yemen Extended Through March 3, 2023
March 3, 2023 Yemenis who already hold TPS in the U.S. receive extension into 2023, and some Yemeni nationals who meet the TPS requirements can apply for the first time.
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Trump Administration's New Regulations Restricting Asylum Meant to Start in 2021
March 3, 2021. Asylum-seekers could face new legal hurdles and the possibility that the U.S. government will dismiss claims at early stages in the legal process, if Trump-era regulations are not overturned.
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USCIS Cancels Change to 128-Question Naturalization Exam Developed in 2020
February 22, 2021 Applicants for naturalized U.S. citizenship who had been studying for the 2020 version of the civics and history exam that USCIS announced it would begin using in 2021 can stop, and study for older, easier version!
Immigration Legal Updates
Immigration Legal Updates
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Biden Administration's First Changes to U.S. Immigration Policy
February 2, 2021 President Biden's initial actions concerning immigration address DACA, the border wall, enforcement and deportation priorities, Liberian DED, and more.
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TPS Extended Into 2022 for Current TPS Holders From Syria
January 29, 2021 DHS Acting Secretary announces redesignation and extension of Syria's TPS (Temporary Protected Status) designation for 18 months, through September 30, 2022.
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All Air Travelers, Whether Immigrants or U.S. Citizens, Will Need Negative COVID Test to Enter U.S.
January 26, 2021 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) orders all international airline passengers ages two or older to present a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a U.S.-bound flight.
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Muslim Travel Bans End in January 2021, Under Biden Administration
January 21, 2021 President Biden immediately reverses the Trump-era Muslim travel bans, opening the way to visa applications for people from 13 countries.
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Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians Extended Into 2022
January 21, 2021 Just hours after Joe Biden was sworn in as President, he issued a memo extending the Liberian DED program through June 30, 2020,
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Venezuelans in the U.S. Receive Opportunity to Apply for Deferred Enforced Departure
January 20, 2021 Any Venezuelan national, or person without nationality who last habitually resided in Venezuela, who was present in the United States as of the order's effective date has permission to remain temporarily in the United States for the next 18 months; that is, has Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
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Immigration Court (EOIR) Filing Fees Going Up in January 2021
January 19, 2021 U.S. immigration court system (formally known as the Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR) adopts a final rule increasing filing fees for applications, appeals, and motions; however, most of the increases have been blocked by a federal court pending further litigation.
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January 6, 2021. The names of the President, Vice President, and some Congresspeople might have changed since you began studying for the civics exam.
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Congress Offers Help to Some Immigrants in 2020 Omnibus Bill
December 27, 2020 Congress passes, and President Trump signs, a spending package that funds various federal agencies into 2021, offers COVID relief to Americans whose income falls below certain limits, and extends various immigration programs that were about to expire.
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Will Some U.S. Visitor Visa Applicants Need to Pay a Bond Under New USCIS Pilot Program?
December 24, 2020 Pilot Program takes effect requiring some visa recipients from countries with high overstay rates to pay a bond ensuring their timely return home.
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DACA Comes Back in Early 2021, Per Biden Executive Order
November 7, 2020 As part of Joe Biden's presidential campaign, he published a plan for immigration that covers numerous topics, DACA among them.