USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of Fiscal Year 2015
USCIS has reached the congressionally mandated limit of H-2B petitions for the first half of fiscal year 2015. Any cap-subject H-2B petitions seeking an employment start date before April 1, 2015 will be rejected if they were submitted after January 26, 2015. No cap numbers from the first half of fiscal year 2015 will be available in the second half of FY 2015, which begins on April 1, 2015. USCIS will continue to accept cap-exempt H-2B petitions.
USCIS Appeals Office Releases Practice Manual
USCIS’ Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) – which reviews USCIS officers’ decisions on immigration petitions – recently released its first ever practice manual. The AAO Practice Manual covers appeals procedures, rules, and overviews of the office. The manual will be updated periodically as regulations change.
The AAO Practice Manual is available for free on the USCIS website: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Laws/AAO/Practice%20Manual/AAO_Practice_Manual.pdf
USCIS Announces Important Adjustments to Form G-28
From USCIS: “We are aware that some attorneys and accredited representatives who recently filed the current version of the G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, may have received a courtesy copy instead of an original document. This occurred because we recently made necessary system changes to incorporate the new features that appear on the revised Form G-28. Release of the new Form G-28 has been temporarily delayed and, as a result, is not yet available for public use. We expect the new Form G-28 will be out soon, however, in the interim, USCIS adjusted its notice mailing process until the new form is available for public use.”
DOS Suspends Consular Services at US Embassy in Sana’a
On February 11th, the Department of State suspended consular service operations at Sana’a following increasing security concerns in Yemen. All consular services, including emergency services, have been suspended until further notice.
Department of Health and Human Services Updates 2015 Poverty Guidelines
In Vol. 80 No. 14 of the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services issued updated poverty guidelines for 2015 to account for the last calendar year’s increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The new guidelines are available here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-01-22/pdf/2015-01120.pdf
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