- Social Security Update: Applicants will have the option to complete additional questions to request an original or replacement Social Security card and to
April 2024
USCIS Removes Validity Period on Immigration Medical Exam Form I-693
By Manda Brefo on
Medical examinations and vaccination records properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon after Nov. 1, 2023, can be used indefinitely, USCIS has announced. There is no longer any expiration date.
Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, is used by some foreign nationals, including green card applicants, to show…
USCIS Issues Employment Authorization Procedures for Palestinians on Deferred Enforced Departure
On April 12, 2024, USCIS issued a Federal Register notice establishing procedures for Palestinians eligible for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) valid through Aug. 13, 2025. President Joe Biden had announced in February 2024 DED for up to 18 months through Aug. 13, 2025, for Palestinians who had been…
DHS Extends, Redesignates Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia
By Forrest G. Read IV on
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopia until Dec. 12, 2025.
The decision to renew and redesignate is based on the ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara Region and violence in other regions of the country that includes human rights abuses and indiscriminate attacks, as well…
DHS: Automatic Extension of Work Authorization for Certain Renewal Applicants
By Amy L. Peck on
Posted in Asylum / Refugee, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), E-1 / E-2, EADs, Fees and Penalties, H-4, I-9 and E-Verify, L-2, TPS, USCIS
Good news for those applying for or with pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewals. DHS is temporarily reinstituting its 540-day automatic extension of work authorization for eligible individuals.
Although DHS has streamlined its EAD process and extended EAD validity periods for certain applicants from two years to five years, the government still struggles to timely…
Instructions for Burma TPS Extensions, Redesignations Released
By Forrest G. Read IV on
Posted in Biden Administration, EADs, Humanitarian Programs, Students / CPT / OPT / STEM, TPS, USCIS
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published instructions on how to apply for the extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar).
On March 25, 2024, DHS extended and redesignated TPS for Burma until Nov. 25, 2025.
Applications for re-registration and employment authorization document (EAD) renewals should be made during the re-registration…
Number of Chinese Students at U.S. Universities Drops
Chinese students make up the majority of international students in the United States. However, the number of Chinese students in U.S. universities has dropped from a high of 370,000 in 2019 to about 290,000 today.
Part of the drop has been attributed to the Trump Administration’s 2020 executive order suspending entry of certain students and…