USCIS News USCIS NewsUSCIS Updates Guidance on Flexibilities Available During and After Emergencies or Unforeseen Circumstances December 19, 2024U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating our Policy Manual to clarify flexibilities that may be available to benefit requestors during and after an emergency or unforeseen circumstance.USCIS Updates Guidance on Case Assistance and Feedback December 18, 2024U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it is updating Volume 1, Part A, of the USCIS Policy Manual to reflect the available avenues for case assistance or feedback.DHS Publishes Final Rule for the Application of Certain Mandatory Bars in Fear Screenings December 17, 2024As part of our continued efforts to deliver more timely consequences for noncitizens encountered who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States—efforts that have resulted in a 60% decrease in unlawful entries since June 4—the Department of Homeland Security has finalized the rule for the Application of Certain Mandatory Bars in […]DHS Helps Companies Fill More Jobs, Strengthens Worker Protections in the H-2 Programs with Final Rule December 17, 2024Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that will allow U.S. companies that need seasonal workers to more quickly and efficiently fill those jobs.DHS Strengthens H-1B Program, Allowing U.S. Employers to More Quickly Fill Critical Jobs December 17, 2024Rule will provide greater benefits and flexibilities for U.S. employers and specialty occupation workers, helping to meet U.S. labor needsUSCIS Issues Updated Guidance on Evidence for Applicants Under the International Entrepreneur Rule December 12, 2024We are issuing updated policy guidance on the types of evidence that may support an application under the International Entrepreneur Rule.DHS Announces Permanent Increase of the Automatic Extension Period for Certain Employment Authorization Document Renewal Applicants December 10, 2024The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that will support U.S. employers, foster economic growth, and improve access to employment authorization documents (EAD) for eligible individuals by permanently increasing the automatic extension period of employment authorization and employment authorization documentation from up to 180 days to up to 540 days for eligible […]USCIS Revised Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status December 10, 2024On Dec. 10, 2024, we published a new edition of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Resident or Adjust Status, which includes updates to questions and instructions. Starting Feb. 10, 2025, we will accept only the 10/24/24 edition of Form I-485 and will reject any older editions of Form I-485.Tools Outage December 3, 2024USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 at 11:50 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 at 2:00 a.m. Eastern.USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B Cap December 2, 2024USCIS has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
