USCIS to Issue Two-Year Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) - Thursday, June 12, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that beginning on June 30, 2008 it will issue Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) valid for two years. read more ...

USCIS to Offer Premium Processing For Certain Form I-140 Petitions - Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Starting June 16, 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting Premium Processing Service requests for Forms I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) filed on behalf of certain alien workers who are nearing the end of their sixth year in H-1B nonimmigrant status. read more ...

Visa Bulletin for July 2008 is available - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 The Department of State announced the availability of immigrant numbers during July 2008. Employment Third preference category will become “unavailable” beginning in July and will remain so for the remainder of FY-2008. The availability for Employment Third preference will return to the cut-off dates established for June in October, the first month of the new fiscal year.  read more ...

Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Travelers under Visa Waiver Program - Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Once ESTA becomes mandatory (on Jan. 12, 2009), all nationals or citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure will require an approved ESTA prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP. read more ...

USCIS moves Lockbox to new site in Chicago - Friday, May 30, 2008 Forms processed at the USCIS Chicago Lockbox include those associated with family-based adjustment of status, all Petitions for Alien Relative (Form I-130), and Temporary Protective Status. read more ...

Visa Bulletin for June 2008 is available - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 The Department of State announced the availability of immigrant numbers during June 2008. read more ...

USCIS Releases Projected Naturalization Processing Times For Local Offices - Tuesday, April 22, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released the projected times to complete processing of applications for citizenship from individuals who filed during the summer of 2007. read more ...

USCIS To Allow F-1 Students Opportunity To Request Change Of Status - Friday, April 18, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it would allow F-1 students who are the beneficiaries of selected H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2009 to request a change of status. read more ...

USCIS Runs Random Selection Process For H-1B Petitions - Monday, April 14, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted the computer-generated random selection processes on H-1B petitions, to select which H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2009 (FY 2009) would continue to full adjudication. read more ...

USCIS RELEASES PRELIMINARY NUMBER OF FY 2009 H-1B CAP FILINGS - Thursday, April 10, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a preliminary number of nearly 163,000 H-1B petitions received during the filing period ending on April 7, 2008. More than 31,200 of those petitions were for the advanced degree category. read more ...

Department of Homeland Security Publishes Interim Final Rule Extending OPT Period - Wednesday, April 09, 2008 This interim final rule extends the maximum period of OPT from 12 months to 29 months for F–1 students who have completed a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree and accept employment with employers enrolled in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify employment verification program. read more ...

USCIS Reaches FY 2009 H-1B Cap - Tuesday, April 08, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year 2009. read more ...

USCIS REVISES FILING INSTRUCTIONS FOR PETITION FOR ALIEN RELATIVE - Friday, March 21, 2008 Effective immediately, all petitioners filing stand-alone Form I-130s must file their petitions with the Chicago Lockbox instead of a USCIS Service Center. read more ...

USCIS ANNOUNCES INTERIM RULE ON H-1B VISAS - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 It prohibits employers from filing multiple H-1B petitions for the same employee. read more ...

Biometric Changes For Re-entry Permits and Refugee Travel Documents - Wednesday, March 05, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued revised instructions for USCIS Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. read more ...

USCIS announces updated background check policy - Thursday, February 28, 2008 What applications are affected by this policy change? read more ...

Form I-130s to be filed with the Chicago Lockbox - Tuesday, February 19, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised the filing instructions for the Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130). read more ...