H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be holding a stakeholder teleconference on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 between 3:00 to 4:30 pm (Eastern). The subject of the event will be the new Form I-942, Request for Reduced Fee, which may be used to request a reduced fee for Form N-400. Representatives from USCIS will give an overview of form I-942 and answer questions during the discussion.

The new Form I-942 will go into effect December 23, 2016. Using this form, USCIS will offer a reduced filing fee of $320 for naturalization applicants with family incomes greater than 150 percent and not more than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For example, in 2016, a household of four with an income between $36,000 and $48,600 per year could pay the reduced fee.

Event Information:

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has released all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the United States (Overall), for a total of fifty-two updated fact sheets with accompanying info graphics and other details. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants, Asians and Latinos in each state. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy division of the American Immigration Council (AIC).

With national immigration policy being discussed as part of Presidential Elections, we thought that it would be a good time to provide some statistics on the Immigrant population in the United States as provided by this IPC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; North Dakota, Ohio & Oklahoma.

The IPC has compiled research which shows that Immigrants, Latinos and Asians are an essential part of each of these states’ economy, labor force and tax base. Immigrants and their children are a growing economic and political force as consumers, taxpayers and entrepreneurs. With the nation working towards economic recovery, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in shaping the economic and political future of each of these states.

USCIS has raised its immigration filing fees effective December 23, 2016. Applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or after December 23, 2016, must include these new fees. Please note that USCIS will reject your submission if the fees are not correct!

New USCIS’ fees effective December 23, 2016

Note:

* The fee for Form I-192 will remain $585 when filed with and processed by CBP

** Certain forms require Biometric Services Fee, add $85

For further details please review the USCIS News Release, “USCIS Announces Final Rule Adjusting Immigration Benefit Application and Petition Fees“.

Source of Information:
USCIS.gov, 10/24/16, News Release:
USCIS Announces Final Rule Adjusting Immigration Benefit Application and Petition Fees

USCIS published the final rule, “Retention of EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 Immigrant Workers and Program Improvements Affecting High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers” on November 18, 2016 and it goes into effect on January, 17, 2017. This final rule will modernize and improve several aspects of certain employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa programs. They have also amended regulations to better enable U.S. employers to hire and retain certain foreign workers who are beneficiaries of approved employment-based immigrant visa petitions and are waiting to become lawful permanent residents. Remember, this rule goes into effect on Jan. 17, 2017.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations to:

• Clarify and improve longstanding DHS policies and practices implementing sections of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act and the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act related to certain foreign workers, which will enhance USCIS’ consistency in adjudication.