March 18, 2020 Don't plan to visit a consulate or USCIS office, or attend a naturalization interview or ceremony, asylum interview, or other appointment until further notice, owing to coronavirus outbreak and response.
Trump Administration Announces New Denaturalization Task Force
February 26, 2020 New DOJ unit will investigate and start court proceedings against naturalized U.S. citizens whose status might have been gained based on lies or misrepresentation.
Supreme Court Allows New “Public Charge” Rule
February 24, 2020 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin implementing the new and more restrictive rule as to which immigrant visa applicants are inadmissibility as likely to become a public charge.
U.S. Citizens May No Longer File I-130 Petitions While Living Abroad
February 1, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announces regardless of whether the U.S. petitioner lives abroad, Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, can only be submitted to USCIS in the U.S. or to the Department of State in exigent circumstances, but no longer with an overseas USCIS office.
USCIS Issues 2020 Poverty Guidelines: Raises Required Income Level for Family Sponsors of Immigrants
March 1, 2020 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 2020 guidelines require higher than ever support levels.
Asylum Applicants Can Now Check Status of Case Online
January 28, 2019 You can now use your asylum receipt code to see whether USCIS has received your case, whether your interview with an asylum officer has scheduled, or whether a decision was reached in your case.
What the "Remain in Mexico" Procedure Means for Asylum Applicants
January 25, 2019 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces it will begin implementing a new “Wait in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers at the southern U.S. border.
Trump Asylum Bar Put on Hold by Federal Judge
November 19, 2018 A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's asylum bar, which will remain in effect until December 19.
Trump and A.G. Whitaker Announce New Bar to Asylum for Unlawful Entrants
On November 9, 2018 the Trump administration issued a new bar on asylum, through a presidential proclamation. It applies to people who enter the U.S. unlawfully (outside an official port of entry) at the southern border.
New USCIS Policy Affects Timing of Medical Exam (Form I-693) for Applicants to Adjust Status
November 1, 2018 USCIS reduces the length of time a medical exam report will be valid to two months.
International Entrepreneurs Can Apply for Parole Entry to U.S.--For Now
December 13, 2017. A court allows the new rule allowing parole entry for international entrepreneurs to go forward, though applicants may still face hostility in light of the Trump Administration's general refusal to allow parole as a means of U.S. entry.
USCIS Narrows Interpretation of TN Category for Economists
November 20, 2017. Employers now need to find another visa option to employ market research analysts, marketing specialists, or financial analysts from Canada and Mexico, because USCIS closed the TN door on the economist category.