All News Items
LATEST NEWS ALERT: New Form I-129 and Increased Fees in Effect Immediately - (04/01/24)
USCIS published a new Form I-129 that goes into effect immediately and must be filed along with following the new filing fee…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: Final Rule on Visa Fees Sets New Rates, Effective April 1, 2024 - (01/31/24)
Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published its final rule updating visa fees across several categories,…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: Premium Processing Fee to Increase Beginning Feb 26, 2024 - (01/02/24); UPDATE: New Form I-907 released, edition 04/01/24
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a near-term inflation adjustment increase for the Form…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: NEW Filing Location for O and P Petitions - (10/04/23)
As of October 1, 2023, Form I-129 petitions should be filed at the Texas Service Center for O and P classification approval.…
Government Shutdown and Visa Processing - (09/28/23)
With the deadline to pass a U.S. federal budget just days away, visa petitioners may be anxious about the impact on visa…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: Use 2023 edition of Form I-129 - (08/15/23)
Starting Oct. 16, 2023 USCIS will only accept the 05/31/23 edition of the Form I-129. Until then, petitioners can also use the…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: USCIS Delays Fee Rule Decision - (07/12/23)
Following a January 2023 proposal to adjust fees charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of…
Consular Fee to Increase May 30, 2023
The U.S. Department of State has announced effective May 30, 2023, consular processing fees will increase. For O and P…
LATEST NEWS ALERT: DHS Proposes Fee Schedule: Includes Steep Increases for Artists Visas, Harmful Policy Changes - (01/13/23)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a proposed rule that would impose very steep increases to some of its…
New Travel Restrictions for China, Hong Kong, and Macau - (01/04/23)
Beginning January 5, at 12:01AM ET, air passengers aged 2 years and older traveling to the United States from China, Hong Kong,…
New Form I-907 and I-129 Editions, Separate Check Policy, Streamlined Data Estimating Processing - (Orig. 05/31/22: UPDATED 1/3/23)
Starting January 30, 2023, USCIS will only accept the 11/03/22 edition of the Form I-907 to request Premium Processing Service.…
Duplicate Copy of Petition No Longer Required - (11/3/22)
USCIS has announced that I-129 petitions (used to request O, P, and several other visa classifications) no longer require a…
IRS Webinar on Form 1042-S and Withholding for International Guest Artists - (09/09/22)
U.S. payers and international guest artists may wish to register for an upcoming free webinar hosted by the U.S. Internal…
State Department Expands Eligibility for In-Person Visa Interview Waivers - (01/06/22)
In late December 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced an immediate expansion of its policy permitting U.S. consulates to…
COVID-19 Visa and Travel Status Update
A summary of what we know about the overall visa and NIE process to date
ARCHIVED_COVID-19 Visa and Travel Status Update
Information prior to the November 8, 2021 lifting of COVID-19 International Travel Bans
UPDATED NEWS ALERT: New Travel Ban Ended In Response to Omicron Variant - (01/04/22)
Effective December 31, 2021, the Biden/Harris Administration ended restrictions that had been put in place on November 29, 2021…
State Department Grants Extended Validity for National Interest Exceptions (NIE) - (07/15/21)
Late last month, the U.S. Department of State announced an extended validity period for National Interest Exceptions (NIE)…
New Mailing Address for Vermont Service Center - (06/14/21)
Effective immediately all petitions sent to the Vermont Service Center should be sent to a new mailing address.
New USCIS Policies Aim to Improve Visa Process - (06/09/21)
On June 9, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced policy changes that will support improved visa…
State Department Revises COVID-19 Travel Ban Exception Requirements - (06/03/21)
The U.S. Department of State has updated the list of criteria that qualify travelers for a limited National Interest Exception…
Biden Administration Extends COVID-19 Travel Ban – (01/26/21, UPDATED 05/13/21))
In light of several recent strains of the COVID-19 virus that are spreading quickly, President Biden has extended the Trump…
Pres. Biden Ends Trump-era Discriminatory Travel Bans – (01/21/21)
In one of his first official acts, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has signed an Executive Order repealing proclamations issued by…
International Travelers to U.S. to Prove COVID-19 Status – (01/13/21)
Anyone traveling by air internationally into the U.S. will need to get a COVID-19 test no more than 3 days before flight…
FEE ALERT: PPS Increases on Monday, October 19th – (10/16/20)
Effective this coming Monday, October 19th, the fee to request Premium Processing Service via Form I-907 will increase from…
New Visa Fee and Forms on Pause, but Congress Approves PPS Hike – (10/1/20)
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that prevents…
Some Countries Resuming Routine Visa Services – (08/10/20)
Since March of this year, routine visa services at U.S. embassies and consulates were suspended by the U.S. Department of State…
DHS Finalizes Steep Artist Visa Fee Increases and Policy Changes – (07/31/20)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finalized its December proposal to impose very steep increases to some of its…
F-1 Students Taking Online-Only Classes Must Depart U.S. – (07/09/20) UPDATED 07/14/20
Earlier this week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a Broadcast Message substantially narrowing the…
Trump Administration Extends and Expands Certain Immigration Restrictions through 2020 - (06/23/20)
Last night the President announced an extension through December of his executive order from late April that had, at that time,…
Premium Processing Service to Resume – (05/29/20)
Premium Processing Service (PPS) for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien…
Brazil Travel Restrictions Issued – (05/28/20)
The Trump Administration announced that entry would be suspended into the United States for any individual who has been in…
USCIS Responses to RFEs and NOIDs – (UPDATED 05/01/20 from 03/30/2020)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS has announced it is lengthening the amount of time for petitioners to respond to certain…
U.S. to Suspend New Immigration for 60 Days – (04/23/2020)
The Trump Administration is expected to sign a new executive order today that would suspend new immigration for an initial…
Travel Restrictions Continue - (04/20/20, Updated 8/10/20)
Today, the Trump Administration extended travel and asylum restrictions along the U.S. border due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…
DHS Provides Options for COVID-Related Extension/Change of Status Filings – (04/16/20)
Acknowledging the travel and immigration-related complications due to COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)…
USCIS IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDING I-907 PREMIUM PROCESSING SERVICE - (03/20/2020)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premium processing service…
Most Countries Suspending Routine U.S. Visa Services – (03/20/2020)
As of March 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of State is suspending routine visa services in most countries worldwide as a result…
Coronavirus 30-Day Ban on Travel to U.S. for Europe’s Schengen Area Citizens Effective March 14, 2020 - (UPDATED 3/14/20)
On March 11, 2020, President Trump announced a Presidential Proclamation restricting travel from the “Schengen Area” of Europe…
USCIS to implement new forms and “public charge” rule beginning Feb 24, 2020 – (02/07/20) UPDATED
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to issue a stay of nationwide injunctions, with the exception of the state of…
Trump Administration Expands Travel Ban to 6 Additional Countries – (02/07/20)
On January 31, 2020, the Trump Administration issued immigrant travel restrictions on nationals of Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea,…
DHS Proposes Steep Artist Visa Fee Increases and Policy Changes – (12/12/19)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed making it much more costly to apply to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration…
Visa Petitioners: PPS Fee Now $1,440 – and must use new form - (12/03/19)
As of December 2, 2019, the PPS fee has increased to $1,440. Also, USCIS has specified that requests for PPS must be done using…
USCIS Issuing Denials to Petitions It Suspects Do Not Contain Original Signatures - (11/20/19)
It has been made evident very recently that USCIS is now issuing a denial if it suspects signatures on paper petitions are not…
Premium Processing Fee to Increase – Again – Dec 2nd - (10/31/19)
Following last October’s $185 increase, USCIS has announced an additional $30 increase for petitions using the premium…
Processing Times Lengthen as Expedite Options Narrow - (10/30/19)
Earlier this year, USCIS quietly changed its policy regarding eligibility to make an expedite request, also known as the…
UPDATED ALERT: New I-129 Must Be Used Starting October 15, 2019 - (10/10/19)
Corresponding with a new rule regarding non-U.S. citizens accessing public benefits in the U.S., USCIS has just a new form I-129…
ALERT: IRS Launches Simplified CWA Form - (10/10/19)
Following a public comment period and informational webinar, the IRS has finalized and launched Form 13930-A, which can be used…
IRS Releases Draft Simplified CWA for Public Comment - 07/18/19 (UPDATED 8/8/19)
The IRS has announced a draft approach to a streamlined CWA process for foreign guest artists seeking to confirm taxes due for…
IRS Announces Progress on Simplified CWA; More Details Soon - (06/18/19)
Details will soon be announced about relief for foreign guest artists seeking to confirm taxes due for work performed with U.S.…
