F-1 Visa

April 29, 2025

Trump administration reverses abrupt terminations of foreign students’ US visa registrations

The Trump administration through the Department of Justice (DOJ) has restored thousands of student visa registrations for foreign students studying in the United States who had minor legal infractions which they received notice of termination over the last couple of weeks!

Many of these students were just weeks away from graduation, some lost their ability to go to classes or conduct college research when they received notice!

For more details about this subject, review the Politico News Article, “Trump administration reverses abrupt terminations of foreign students’ US visa registrations“!

April 13, 2021

F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Now File Form I-765 Online

by Kellie N. Lego

On Monday, April 12^th, USCIS announced that F-1 Visa students looking for Optional Practical Training (OPT) can file online using Form I-765. OPT is temporary employment directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study.

Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization can be completed online if they are filing under one of these listed categories:

(c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;

July 16, 2020

ICE reverses just announced Visa Restriction on Foreign Students

by Kellie N. Lego

ICE reverses just announced visa restrictions on foreign college students with F-1 and M-1 visas! Last week’s restrictions would have forced any foreign college student to return home or transfer if their college is online only. The Trump Administration argued that they did not need to be in this country to attend their college if courses were all online. They were not going to make any exceptions because of the Pandemic, really trying to force all students back to the classroom, seemingly for political reasons.

The Trump administration was being sued in Federal Court by hundreds of Colleges and Universities, including Harvard and MIT because of the new restrictions placed on their foreign students.

Source of Information:

November 21, 2014

The President’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions

by Kellie N. Lego

On Thursday, November 20, 2014, President Barack Obama announced his Temporary Plans to fix our broken immigration system.

The President’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions will help secure the border, hold nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants accountable and ensure that everyone plays by the same rules.

As an Immigration Attorney, I see the results of our broken system every day and in the absence of Congressional action, the President had to act. While a lot of the details are still waiting to be filled in, we know that many of these changes will make a real impact. We are aware that these initiatives are not going to help everyone, as not everyone will be eligible. Therefore, we need to continue to pressure Congress into finishing the job by passing a bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.

December 5, 2013

Student and Exchange Visitor Program withdrawn from UNVA

by Kellie N. Lego

The University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) has been withdrawn from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) as of October 1, 2013. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would like to remind any UNVA active F-1 (Academic Student Visa) students that they must have transferred or departed the United States as of November 25, 2013. If they did not respond, their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record was terminated and they must now contact the SEVP Response Center (SRC) at (703) 603-3400 or email sevp@ice.dhs.gov. For more details please review the SEVP memo, “Update for University of Northern Virginia Students.”

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) ordered UNVA to terminate operations within the United States as of July 15, 2013. UNVA was initially established in Virginia in 1998 and was fully accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) in 2003 but lost its accreditations as of August 2008.

Background:

March 15, 2013

H1B CAP NEWS: USCIS Announcement Regarding Premium Processing for H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions

by Kellie N. Lego

The filing period for H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2014 numerical cap begins on April 1, 2013. USCIS anticipates that it may receive more than 65,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions and more than 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher between April 1, 2013, and April 5, 2013. This could be the first time since April 2008 that the H-1B cap will require a lottery.

USCIS provides premium processing service for certain employment-based petitions and guarantees a 15-calendar-day processing time. Due to the historic premium processing receipt levels, combined with the possibility that the H-1B cap will be met in the first 5 business days of the filing season, USCIS has temporarily adjusted its current premium processing practice. To facilitate the prioritized data entry of cap-subject petitions requesting premium processing, and in accordance with 8 CFR 103.7(e)(3)(ii), USCIS is announcing that premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions, including H-1B petitions seeking an exemption from the fiscal year cap for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher, will begin on April 15, 2013.

USCIS will continue to accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, with fee, concurrently with the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, during the time period that premium processing is unavailable – from April 1 to April 14, 2013. Petitioners may also upgrade a pending H-1B cap petition to premium processing once a receipt notice is issued. All requests for premium processing received between April 1, 2013, and April 14, 2013, will be adjudicated when premium processing begins on April 15, 2013.

January 9, 2013

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on January 4, 2013 with processing dates as of November 30, 2012.

If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

California Service Center

October 24, 2012

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on October 19, 2012 with processing dates as of August 31, 2012.

If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

California Service Center

October 11, 2012

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on October 4, 2012 with processing dates as of August 31, 2012.

If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

California Service Center

September 17, 2012

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on September 13, 2012 with processing dates as of July 31, 2012.

If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

California Service Center