The German government has published and approved a draft bill that would modernize German nationality law. If this draft bill should become law, German expats in the US would no longer need to obtain a retention permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) from the German government before becoming naturalized US citizens. Please contact attorney Clemens Pauly with your questions concerning this topic.
Category: Visa Information
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New H-1B rule in effect
The final rule on #H1B cap subject petitions introduces an electronic registration requirement for petitioners—suspended for this year’s H-1B cap season—and reverses the order in which #USCIS selects petitions. Learn more in this #AILAQuickTake http://ow.ly/Gi5P30nx8nJ
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2019 DV Lottery Program to Restart October 18, 2017 !
The State Department issued a news release that the 2019 DV Lottery Program will begin again on October 18, 2018. All earlier entries have been deleted and all applicants will have to submit new applications again:
See announcement here: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ (as of October 16, 2017):
Due to a technical issue, the DV-2019 entry period that began on October 3 has been closed. Entries submitted during October 3-10 are not valid and have been excluded from the system; they will not count as a duplicate entry. The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017. Only entries submitted during this period will be accepted and considered for selection in the lottery. Please throw away any confirmation number or other documentation that you have if you submitted an entry during Oct. 3-10.
Our earlier post on this topic:
Sep. 14, 2017
The Department of State issued a notice providing information on how to apply for the 2019 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, under which 50,000 immigrant visas will be available. The notice includes information on eligibility, entry period, completing the electronic entry form, selection of applicants, photo requirements, and FAQs. (82 FR 43068, 9/13/17)
Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2019 program electronically at dvlottery.state.gov between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Tuesday, October 3, 2017, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Tuesday, November 7, 2017. The Department warns not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter, as heavy demand may result in Website delays.
Starting May 1, 2018, applicants will be able to check the status of their entry by returning to dvlottery.state.gov, clicking on Entrant Status Check, and entering the unique confirmation number assigned to the entry and personal information. Entrant Status Check will be the sole means of informing applicants of their selection for DV-2019, providing instructions on how to proceed with the application, and notifying applicants of their appointment for their immigrant visa interview.
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Immigration Services When Faced With Unforeseen Circumstances, Including Hurricanes
In the aftermath of hurricane Irma, US Citizenship and Immigration Services just released the following public service advisory. While we share this advisory to inform potentially affected individuals in the US, please carefully consider the effect of making contact or requesting any relief from USCIS in light of your individual situation. If in doubt, please contact a qualified immigration attorney, so that you are assured that your information remains confidential:
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From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services <uscis@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 8:09 AM
Subject: Immigration Help Available to Those Affected by Hurricane IrmaUSCIS offers immigration services that may help people affected by unforeseen circumstances, including disasters such as Hurricane Irma.
The following measures may be available on a case-by-case basis upon request:
- Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States. Failure to apply for the extension or change before expiration of your authorized period of admission may be excused if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control;
- Re-parole of individuals previously granted parole by USCIS;
- Expedited processing of advance parole requests;
- Expedited adjudication of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
- Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate;
- Consideration of fee waivers due to an inability to pay;
- Assistance for those who received a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny but were unable to submit evidence or otherwise respond in a timely manner;
- Assistance if you were unable to appear for a scheduled interview with USCIS;
- Expedited replacement of lost or damaged immigration or travel documents issued by USCIS, such as a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card); and
- Rescheduling a biometrics appointment.
Note: When making a request, please explain how the impact of Hurricane Irma created a need for the requested relief.
To learn how to request these measures or determine if an office is open, call the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 800-767-1833) or visit our USCIS Office Closings webpage.
If your InfoPass appointment was affected by this storm, you can reschedule your appointment online or by calling the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 800-767-1833).
All Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, requirements remain in place. Those affected by Hurricane Irma should review Form I-9 acceptable documents and receipts for more information on how to complete the Form I-9 if an employee’s documents are lost, stolen, or damaged.Visit I-9 Central for more information.
For more information about how we provide assistance to individuals affected by unforeseen circumstances, visit our Special Situations webpage or call the National Customer Service Center.
For more information about the federal government response to Hurricane Irma, visit usa.gov/hurricane-irma.
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New I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form Released
USCIS has released a new form I-9 with a revision date of July 17, 2017.
Employers should now use this new form but can continue using the previous version of the form (revision date 11/14/2016 N) through September 17, 2017.
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Department of State Emails from clientverification@state.gov are Legitimate
US employers, please see a recent alert from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA):AILA has recently received reports that employers have received emails from a contractor at the Department of State (DOS) via clientverification@state.gov requesting confirmation that a beneficiary will be providing services at the company. AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee confirmed with DOS Visa Office that clientverification@state.gov is a legitimate email address. As such, employers should respond to the request accordingly.AILA Doc. No. 17070537 | Dated July 5, 2017 -
USCIS has released Redesigned Green Cards and Employment Authorization Documents
Following its announcement on April 19, 2017 USCIS started printing newly designed Green Cards and Employment Authorization Documents [EAD] on May 1, 2017.
The new front and back of the Green Card looks like this:
The new design of the EAD looks like this:
[See more information and description of the design at https://www.uscis.gov/greencard and https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/employment-authorization-document]
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H-1B visa cap reached for FY 2018
Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that it has reached the congressionally mandated 65,000 visa H-1B cap for fiscal year 2018. USCIS has also received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings.
See the official press release here: https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-reaches-fy-2018-h-1b-cap
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DHS Statement Concerning Admission of Returning Residents
From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services <uscis@public.govdelivery.com>
Date: January 29, 2017 5:44:15 PM MSTSubject: DHS statements on the entry of lawful permanent residents and compliance with court orders and the president’s executive orders
Reply-To: <uscis@public.govdelivery.com>
STATEMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY JOHN KELLY ON THE ENTRY OF LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENTS INTO THE UNITED STATESWASHINGTON – In applying the provisions of the president’s executive order, I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest.
Accordingly, absent the receipt of significant derogatory information indicating a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in our case-by-case determinations.
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DHS STATEMENT ON COMPLIANCE WITH COURT ORDERS AND THE PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS
WASHINGTON – Upon issuance of the court orders yesterday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immediately began taking steps to comply with the orders. Concurrently, the Department of Homeland Security continues to work with our partners in the Departments of Justice and State to implement President Trump’s executive order on protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.
We are committed to ensuring that all individuals affected by the executive orders, including those affected by the court orders, are being provided all rights afforded under the law. We are also working closely with airline partners to prevent travelers who would not be granted entry under the executive orders from boarding international flights to the U.S. Therefore, we do not anticipate that further individuals traveling by air to the United States will be affected.
As Secretary Kelly previously stated, in applying the provisions of the president’s executive order, the entry of lawful permanent residents is in the national interest. Accordingly, absent significant derogatory information indicating a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in our case-by-case determinations.
We are and will remain in compliance with judicial orders. We are and will continue to enforce President Trump’s executive order humanely and with professionalism. DHS will continue to protect the homeland.
For the latest DHS news, see https://www.dhs.gov/news
Please do not reply to this message. See our Contact Us page for phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sending to dk@allott.com 20 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20529 ·
1-800-375-5283
