News

On 12/10/2024, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it is permanently extending the automatic extension period for certain EAD applicants from 180 to 540 days.

On 12/6/2024, the US Department of State announced that, effective 12/9/2024, it is changing the J-1 "skills list." If a country is removed from the skills list, the two-year home residency obligation is retroactively removed for individuals from that country as long as they are not also subject on a different basis, e.g. government funding or J-1 program category (Alien Physician).

As the new White House administration transitions into office on January 20, 2025, some of you may wonder about potential changes to policies governing U.S. visas and immigration. The International Center (IC) monitors immigration/visa policies and any proposed changes impacting the populations of international students, scholars, employees, and dependents we serve.

On 9/24/2024, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State announced that "[starting] no later than [12/1/2024], the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online application and mobile app will be updated to allow citizens and nationals of Qatar to apply to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 d

Effective 9/10/2024, USCIS began automatically extending the validity of green cards to 36 months from the expiration date on the face of the current Green Card for individuals who file Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card. USCIS is in the process of sending out amended receipt notices for individuals with a pending Form I-90.

On 4/8/2024, USCIS published a new temporary final rule extending the automatic extension period for certain EAD applicants from 180 to 540 days. This rule will be effective from 4/8/2024 until 9/20/2027 and will affect extension requests filed between 10/27/2023 and 9/30/2025.

Effective 4/1/2024, USCIS will change its fee schedule for many petition and application types as well as its Premium Processing adjudication timeline. The Premium Processing timeline will change from calendar days to federal business days. In effect, for an H-1B petition, the Premium Processing timeline will change from approximately 2 weeks to approximately 3 weeks.

On 12/28/2023, USCIS announced that it will change its Premium Processing fees. Effective 2/26/2024, the Premium Processing fees for H-1B petitions as well as most Immigrant Petitions will increase from $2,500 to $2,805.

On 12/28/2023, USCIS announced that it will change its Premium Processing fees. Effective 2/26/2024, the Premium Processing fees for H-1B petitions as well as most Immigrant Petitions will increase from $2,500 to $2,805.