Palmer Polaski Blog

On October 19, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced updated policy guidance to Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. Naturalization applicants with a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment that prevents them from fulfilling the English and civics testing requirements for naturalization may file Form N-648 to request an exception to […]

The December 2022 and recently released January 2023 Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletins have shown retrogression in employment-based second preference (EB-2) categories for all nationalities. This means that all individuals seeking EB-2 preference petitions can no longer concurrently file for adjustment of status. Previously, only Indian and Chinese nationals were subject to this backlog […]

The 117th Congress adjourned and came to a close after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that avoids a government shutdown, provides miliary, humanitarian and economic assistance for Ukraine, natural disasters assistance, and increased funding for the military as well as on federal health education, labor and economic programs, […]

Leading up to Election Day, immigration was a hot talking point on campaign ads. In particular, immigration became a top issue for many Republicans’ campaign strategies, particularly those focusing on enforcement and border security, with some using fear-based language tying immigrants to drug, crime, and national security. In contrast, most Democratic election campaigns focused on […]

DHS Announces Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans: On July 11, 2022, USCIS indicated that it would extend TPS benefits for Venezuelans for an additional 18 months. The 18-month extension will be effective from September 10, 2022, through March 10, 2024. Only beneficiaries under the existing designation will be eligible to re-register for benefits. […]

As of September 15, USCIS began accepting premium processing requests for the following employment-based immigrant visas: Multinational executive and manager petitioners (EB-13, a/k/a EB-1C) received on or before January 1, 2022: and EB-2 National Interest Waiver petitions received on or before February 1, 2022. The filing fee for premium processing in these cases is $2500. […]

If there is one action that you should take as a foreign national in the United States, it is to become a U.S. citizen when eligible. The upcoming midterm elections in November are a keen reminder of the privileges held only be U.S. citizens. All naturalization applicants must generally meet the following requirement to become […]

From July 2022 through August 2022, USCIS announced edition updates to many immigration forms. These include updates to Form I-485, Form I-485, Supplement A, Adjustment of Status under section 245(i), Form I-601, Form I-693, Form I-602, among many more. USCIS’s website should be reviewed regularly to identity the acceptable form edition for a particular application/petition. […]

On July 1, 2022, USCIS rescinded a previous policy from the Trump Administration they had adopted from Matter of Z-R-Z-C and revised their policy on authorized travel under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The most significant changes from USCIS are the following: TPS holders who travel abroad with authorization and are subsequently inspected and admitted by […]

On July 28, 2022, USCIS acknowledged that it was not issuing receipt notices in a timely manner for asylum applications. Considering that asylum applications must be filed within one year of the applicant’s arrival, the delay in issuing a receipt notice could cause a monumental obstacle if the application is rejected. The failure in issuing […]