Today, Monday, October 19th, the new proposed rule regarding STEM OPT extension was published in the Federal Register, starting the notice and comment period required as part of the regulatory process. The new rule contains many positive changes consistent with President Obama’s November 2014 Executive Action on Immigration and will help the U.S. attract students in STEM fields and remain competitive in today’s global marketplace. Stakeholders will now have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed rule during this comment period.
Read MoreUpdated Instructions for Using the Revised Visa Bulletin
USCIS issued updated instructions for utilizing the new Visa Bulletin System which are a departure from the original process. Beginning with the November 2015 Visa Bulletin, applicants can only use the "Filing Dates" to determine whether they are able to file their adjustment of status applications if USCIS specifically indicates this option is available for that month. Unless otherwise stated, the "Final Action" dates will control.
Read MoreUSCIS & DOS Announce Revised Procedures for Determining Visa Availability with Release of October 2015 Visa Bulletin
U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State (DOS) have formally announced that the agencies will be revising their procedures for determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for employment-based or family-based applications for permanent residence (“green card”). This announcement comes in conjunction with DOS’s release of the October 2015 Visa Bulletin.
Read MoreState Department Visa Bulletin Reforms for Employment-Based Green Cards Expected to be Announced Soon
The State Department is expected to announce significant reforms to the employment-based immigrant visa (“green card”) categories in their monthly Visa Bulletin, the document used by the State Department to provide predictions on upcoming immigrant visa availability. The agency is expected to make an announcement in the coming week explaining how it will reform and modernize the way green card availability is regulated. These reforms are largely in response to President Obama’s November 2014 Executive Action on Immigration calling for measures to enable individuals to file their adjustment of status applications before their priority dates become current.
Read MoreD&S Summary of White House REPORT on "Modernizing & Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System"
As a follow up to the directives in Presidents Obama's Executive Action on Immigration in November 2014, the White House has released a report detailing how technology can be used to create a comprehensive, clear, and user-friendly online visa processing system that would resolve many of the issues of the current “antiquated” system whereby physical documents travel thousands of miles, wasting both time and money. The report is aimed at boosting the American GDP by billions, expanding the labor force, and raising wages over the next decade using interagency digitization for data transparency, accuracy, and availability. There are also proposals for clearer and more accessible instructions, statistics, and policy guidance.
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