H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

USCIS announced on Wednesday, May 27^th, that they are opening some of their domestic offices and will resume non-emergency public services on or after Thursday, June 4^th! Routine in-person services and most of the USCIS facilities have been temporarily closed since March 18^th.

 
*As services begin to reopen, offices will reduce the number of appointments and interviews to ensure social distancing, allow time for cleaning and reduce waiting room occupancy. Appointment notices will contain information on safety precautions that visitors to USCIS facilities must follow.

If you are feeling sick, please do not go to your appointment. Follow the instructions on your appointment notice to reschedule your appointment for when you are healthy. There is no penalty for rescheduling your appointment if you are sick. *USCIS

USCIS announced on Friday, May 1st, that they were extending the flexibilities that they originally announced on March 30th. These flexibilities are for responding to certain requests from the USCIS, some are listed below:

• Requests for Evidence;
• Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);

USCIS announced on March 18th that they have suspended routine in-person services, they have now extended that public closure until at least June 4th. This step is being taken to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)! USCIS will continue to operate but without public personal contact. USCIS will provide very limited emergency services that require personal contact; you must contact the USCIS Contact Center for more information.

Please visit this USCIS News Alert for more information: USCIS Offices Preparing to Reopen on June 4

Source of Information:

USCIS is launching a new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephone system for calls to the USCIS Contact Center. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephone system is a technology that allows a computer system to interact and communicate with humans using voice and phone keypad tones. The new telephone system will be available in both English and Spanish, but it is a limited roll-out across the country.

This new system will personalize the caller’s experience by:

• Speak to the system rather than selecting keypad options;

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have made a temporary final rule change to certain H-2A requirements! These temporary changes are to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment! DHS and USDA are working to protect the nation’s food supply chain and lessen impacts during this public health emergency.

The rule change allows:

1. An H-2B employer to employ an H-2B nonimmigrant physically present in the United States while the employer’s H-2B petition on behalf of that nonimmigrant is still pending before USCIS. The temporary employment authorization will last for up to 60 days.