On August 3, 2020, USCIS confirmed that they would significantly overhaul their fee system. After months of dialogue, USCIS published the Final Rule which will take effect on October 2, 2020. These changes were instituted to ensure that USCIS will remain financially solvent through the economic downturn. The changes adjust fees by a weighted average […]
In anticipation of the contentious 2020 Presidential election, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has released his immigration plan. In stark contrast to the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Trump campaign, Biden’s plan is decidedly pro-immigrant—touting the United States as a “Nation of Immigrants.” The plan goes to great length to distance Biden from the sitting President; Biden […]
Due to a recent presidential proclamation from the Trump administration, immigrant visas from Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea and Kyrgyzstan can no longer be issued starting February 22, 2020. Additional restrictions have also been placed on nationals from Tanzania and Sudan, who will not be eligible to receive green cards through the Diversity Visa lottery program. The proclamation takes […]
According to an internal memo signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the U.S. State Department expects a significant drop in visas issued in the coming years due to COVID-19. ProPublica has seen this memo. According to the news outlet, the decrease, if it happens, will come from few people wanting to travel to the […]
Background: An Affidavit of Support, Form I-864, is required for most family-sponsored immigrants and some employment-based immigrants. The Affidavit of Support creates a contract between the sponsor and the U.S. government, whereby, the sponsor agrees to provide financial support to the immigrant and that the sponsor would be liable for any reimbursement obligation incurred as […]
On June 26, 2020, USCIS published its final rule making multiple changes to the regulations governing asylum applications and eligibility for work authorization based on a pending asylum application. This rule is to take effect August 25, 2020. The rule if it takes effect, makes Dramatic changes to asylum applicants’ eligibility to seek an Employment Authorization […]
The past few weeks laid bare to all what African Americans endure in the United States. As we celebrate Juneteenth today, the liberation of those who had been held as slaves in the United States, signifying freedom and emancipation, the brutal murder of George Floyd, caught on camera, at the hands of police officers employed […]
Historically, the United States has been considered a bastion of higher education, and a destination for international students seeking to compete in the ‘global knowledge economy.’ Under the Trump Administration, however, the United State’s preeminent position as a supplier of higher education to the rest of the world hangs in the balance. In this […]