DOS to Expand Passport Agencies in U.S. and Tests Beta Release of Online Passport Renewal System
Citizens seeking to obtain a U.S. passport will have access to six additional new passport agencies which will eventually open in Salt Lake City, UT; Kansas City, MO; Orlando, FL; Charlotte, NC; San Antonio, TX; and Cincinnati OH. The Department of State (DOS) announced this effort to support the record number of citizens applying for passports. Currently there are 35 passport agencies and centers in the U.S. and over 7,400 public passport acceptance facilities nationwide. While applications for first-time passports and renewals continue by postal mail, the DOS is testing a “beta release” of an online system for citizens to renew their passports. Applicants must try to capture an application window each day since the system will only open for a limited time midday ET each day, and close once the daily application limit has been reached. The daily limits on online renewals will continue for several months while the software development process continues.
Link: For a full list of eligibility requirements and procedures, see Renew my Passport Online (state.gov)
DHS Announces Process to Promote Unity and Stability of Families
Noncitizens may apply for lawful permanent residence (a “green card”) based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen, but many are forced to depart the U.S. and process their applications abroad, causing them to be separated from their U.S. family members for long and uncertain periods of time. To avoid this, DHS has established a new process to consider case-by-case requests for foreign nationals to complete the immigration process inside the U.S. If approved, the applicant is permitted to remain in the U.S. with their family and apply for work authorization for up to three years. To be eligible, applicants must:
Be present in the U.S. without admission or parole;
Have been continuously present in the U.S. for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024; and
Have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024.
Link: To read the full announcement: FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Keep Families Together | The White House
The Demise of “Chevron Deference”: How the Recent Supreme Court Decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo Could Change Immigration Practice
The 6/28/2024 Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright Enterprises et al. v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, et al., made national headlines because of its wide-ranging impact on the federal agencies that generate, implement, and enforce regulations. In its decision, the Supreme Court overruled Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984) – a 40-year-old precedent decision which held that when federal statutes are ambiguous, courts should defer to the relevant federal agency’s interpretation of how to apply them. In Loper Bright, a 6-3 conservative majority held that Chevron should be struck down as it conflicts with the federal judiciary’s constitutional role and with the Administrative Procedure Act, which instructs federal judges to “decide all relevant questions of law.” By limiting the broad regulatory authority of federal agencies, courts are no longer required to defer to them as to how to best interpret a statute. This opens the door to judicial challenges of agency decisions in every area of regulated law, including immigration and naturalization. Given that USCIS relies heavily on agency interpretations in its adjudications, Loper Bright now provides an opening for immigration advocates to challenge what they believe are improper statutory interpretations in court. At the same time, some argue that programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) could be negatively impacted since DACA’s very existence is based on agency interpretation of an existing statute.
Link: To read the full Supreme Court decision: Opinions of the Court - 2023 (supremecourt.gov)
Visa Bulletin - June 2024
Each month, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) publishes the Visa Bulletin, listing all "preference" categories and states whether a backlog exists for each one. In addition, the categories are folded into two charts: “Final Action” chart and a “Dates for Filing” chart for Family-Based immigration and Employment-Based immigration.
In June, the EB-1 preference category on the Final Action Chart remains current for all countries other than China and India. The EB-1 priority dates for China and India for May are September 1, 2022 and March 1, 2021 respectively.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that Chart A (Final Action Dates Employment-Based Visa Applications) could be used in May. Both the EB-2 and EB-3 preference categories remain backlogged for all countries, which means that individuals in these categories may not file Form I-485 applications until their priority dates become “current.”
The June Visa Bulletin noted that due to high demand in the employment-based second (EB-2) and third (EB-3) categories, this will most likely necessitate retrogression of the worldwide final action date (including Mexico and Philippines) in these categories next month to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the Fiscal Year 2024 annual limit.
The complete Visa Bulletin, including priority dates for family-based immigrant applications, can be found on the Department of State website.
If you have questions about planning, please schedule a consultation with one of the attorneys at Iandoli, Desai & Cronin (info@iandoli.com).
Link:
Visa Bulletin: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-for-june-2024.html.
USCIS Updates Form G-1044, Fee Schedule
On May 29th, 2024, USCIS updated the Form G-1055, Fee Schedule.
Link:
USCIS Form G-1055: https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055
Form I-9 Fine Calculator from HSI (Homeland Security Investigations)
DHS's Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) has provided an employer fact sheet on I-9 fine calculations. The I-9 is the mandatory “Employment Eligibility Verification Form” for all new hires.
Link:
USCIS Reminds Certain Employment-Based Petitioners to Submit Correct Fees
On April 1st, 2024, USCIS implemented a change of fees for many application types. As some of these changes have caused confusion amongst petitioners and applicants, USCIS has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to guide individuals in how to avoid petition rejections due to the submission of incorrect fees.
Despite this new FAQ, there have been reports across USCIS facilities of erroneous rejections and receipt delays that have stemmed from the April 1st changes. If you are an immigration lawyer who is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), AILA National has asked members to report these erroneous rejections and receipt delays to them.
Link:
USCIS FAQ Page: Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
USCIS Provides Statistics on Employers and Beneficiaries for FY 2025 H-1B Cap Initial Registration
Following up on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) previous announcement that it had received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2025 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap), USCIS reported several statistics in an email blast.
Key Takeaways:
USCIS selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap.
During the registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap, there was a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted as compared to FY 2024, including a decrease in the number of registrations submitted on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple registrations.
The number of unique beneficiaries this year for FY 2025 (approx. 442,000) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approx. 446,000).
The number of unique employers this year for FY 2025 (approx. 52,700) was also comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approx. 52,000).
The number of eligible registrations, however, was down dramatically for FY 2025 (470,342) compared with FY 2024 (758,994) — a 38.6% reduction.
Overall, there was an average of 1.06 registrations per beneficiary this year in FY 2025 compared to 1.70 for FY 2024.
Links:
Additional USCIS information about FY2025 H-1B Process: H-1B Electronic Registration Process page
Department of State 60-Day Comment Request on SEVIS
On May 14, 2024, the Department of State made a request for comments on the recording, reporting, and data collection requirements for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Comments are due by 7/15/24.
Link:
DOS Final Rule Allows Attorneys to Provide Assistance at US Embassies in Connection with Passport Appointments, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and Certain Other Services
On May 13th, 2024, the State Department published a Final Rule allowing third parties such as attorneys, interpreters, and others to attend certain applicant/requester appointments at U.S. embassies, passport agencies and centers overseas to offer assistance. This rule will only apply to appointments for U.S. passport applications (either domestically or overseas), appointments related to requests for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad or Certificates of Loss of Nationality of the United States, or appointments for specific other services offered by American Citizens Services (ACS) units at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas.
Link:
Final Rule Published in Federal Register: Third-Party Attendance at Appointments for Passport, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and Certain Other Services