The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a fraud alert on April 19, 2017, to warn the public about a scam using the DHS OIG hotline telephone number. Scammers have identified themselves as “U.S. Immigration” employees and have altered their caller ID to seem like the call is coming from the DHS OIG hotline (1-800-323-8603). They then demand that the individual provide or verify personally identifiable information, often by telling individuals that … [Read more...]

On March 3, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would suspend all premium processing services (PPS) for the filing and processing of H-1B petitions for up to six (6) months. This expedited service expedites the processing of H-1B petitions, shortening the wait from 6 months or longer down to 15 calendar days. This suspension is a major change from past practice, which had seen USCIS suspend PPS only for H-1B petitions that were part of the annual cap … [Read more...]

It is important to know your rights and responsibilities when you prepare to travel internationally. This is especially true of traveling into the United States at this time. The U.S. border is protected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in part through its components, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Border Patrol (BP). All travelers who wish to enter the U.S. must present themselves for inspection by a CBP Officer. Whether this happens at the … [Read more...]

On March 15 and 16, 2017, two U.S. federal courts enjoined, or stopped, the U.S. government from implementing provisions of the second of President Trump’s Executive Orders (EO). Like its predecessor, this EO bans travelers from certain predominantly Muslim countries and halts the admission of refugees. What follows is a timeline and summary of President Trump’s travel bans, their review in U.S. courts, and what the bans now mean to lawful permanent residents, nonimmigrant visa holders, and … [Read more...]