Immigration Updates
-
Posted: 8/4/2016 10:08 AM
The filing fee for Form I-765 is $410, effective 12 a.m. Eastern U.S. time, December 23, 2016. A deadline for 2017 has not been listed yet. See USCIS.gov for details. If you are now on a 17-month OPT (Optional Practical Training) extension, you may apply to extend your OPT period for an extra 7 months. You must file form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) by August 8, 2016. This form must be signed and submitted with the correct fee. For more information on the 7-month extensi…
-
Supreme Court Decision: Deferred Action for Parents
Posted: 6/23/2016 3:04 PM
News Flash: The US Supreme Court announced a decision today on the deferred action for parents (DAPA) program. The court reached a deadlock on this issue. The court will leave in place the lower court decision that blocks the deferred action program for undocumented (sometimes called illegal) parents of US citizen and permanent resident children. For more information on the court decision see DAPA Court Decision. The earlier, two-year Deferred Action program for undocumented children who entere…
-
Posted: 6/23/2016 9:49 AM
How to record Departure from the US It may be important to prove the date(s) of your departure from the US. For example, you may need to show that you have not overstayed your admission period to the US, or you may want to document the time you have spent out of the US for purposes of recapturing time in H-1B status. When you enter the US by air or sea, DHS records your entry and departure electronically. DHS no longer issues paper I-94 at air or sea ports of entry. You may visit the following…
-
Posted: 5/18/2016 8:27 AM
The clock is ticking . . . The Immigration Service recently proposed raising the filing fees for many immigration applications. We expect filing fees to increase in the Fall of 2016. The biggest proposed filing fee increases are for the following applications. Naturalization (Form N-400) Increase from $595 to $640 Proof of US Citizenship (Forms N-600 and N-600K) Increase from $600 to $1170 Relative Petitions (Forms I-130 and I-485) I-130: Increase from $420 to $535 I-485:…
-
Posted: 5/12/2016 11:24 AM
The Diversity Lottery Program (also known as the Diversity Visa Immigrant Program) provides up to 50,000 immigrant visas (green cards) every year for those from counties with low rates of immigration to the US. Lottery winners are drawn from all entries of those who qualify to apply. For more information on the Diversity Lottery, including a list of countries whose natives are eligible to apply for the lottery, visit travel.state.gov. Warning: Filing an application for the Diversity Lottery ma…