While adjudication times for immigration benefits can take several months to several years to decide, an applicant or petitioner can request that USCIS expedite the processing of an application or petition. These expedite requests will be considered by USCIS on a case-by-case basis and is entirely up to the discretion of USCIS. USCIS can grant […]
Palmer Polaski Blog
In late February, the Biden Administration announced new asylum policies that seek to disqualify migrants from asylee status if they entered the United States between official ports of entry after failing to seek refugee status in other countries that they may have crossed along the way. This proposed policy change can be detrimental to many […]
An ADIT stamp (also known as an I-551 stamp) can be used by lawful permanent residents (LPRs) as evidence of their permanent residence when the permanent residence card has not yet been received, has expired, or has been lost. The ADIT stamp provides evidence of status so that LPRs are able to work and travel […]
Effective January 30, 2023, USCIS began accepting premium processing requests for all pending and initial EB-1 multinational executive and manager I-140 petitions and all pending and initial EB-2 (National Interest Waiver) I-140 petitions. Unlike typical premium processing applications that require 15 days to adjudicate, USCIS has 45 days to take action on these specific employment-based […]
On February 2, 2023, USCIS updated its guidance to clarify that both asylees and refugees must have been physically present in the United States for one year at the time of adjudicating their Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Previously, asylees were required to be present in the United States for […]
The April 2023 Visa Bulletin just published by the U.S. Department of State indicates that the availability of visas will retrogress (or backlog) for several immigrant visa categories. Visa availability for the following family-based and employment-based preference categories will be affected as follows: F-2A (Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents): F-2A will retrogress worldwide to […]
On January 4, 2023, USCIS published a proposed rule to increase fees for most of the agency’s immigration applications. According to USCIS, which conducted a comprehensive fee review, they receive about 96 percent of their funding from customers in the form of filing fees, but the current fees do not recover the full cost of […]
DHS Announces Extension and Redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Somalia: In early March, DHS announced extending and re-designating Somalia for TPS for 18 months, from March 18, 2023, through September 17, 2024. USCIS Announces Premium Processing for F-1 Students Seeking OPT or STEM OPT Extensions: USCIS is now permitting premium processing for students seeking […]
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on June 5, 2012. DACA conferred temporary authorization to remain in the United States to certain undocumented youth who came to the United States as children. To be initially eligible for DACA, applicants needed to meet certain requirements, […]
One of the first steps in filing a PERM application is obtaining a prevailing wage determination (PWD). The PWD is the minimum wage that an employer can pay an employee for a particular job in a particular region. The PWD is typically obtained from the Department of Labor (DOL). Using different wage data available online, […]
