USCIS Ending Forms Request Line June 1
Starting June 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is ending the Forms Request Line service that allows people to order forms by phone. The agency is encouraging applicants to download and print forms for free from the USCIS website. Mailed forms can still be requested by calling the USCIS Contact Center or through the agency’s “Forms by Mail” online request tool. Details: USCIS announcement, https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-ending-forms-requestline; Forms by Mail, https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-by-mail; forms site, https://www.uscis.gov/forms; USCIS Contact Center, https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter.
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DHS Increases H-2B Cap for FY 2019 by 30,000 Additional Visas
A temporary rule jointly issued by the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL), effective May 8, 2019, increases the H-2B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2019 by 30,000. The H-2B visa permits a foreign worker to fill temporary nonagricultural jobs in the United States. The purpose of the rule is to aid U.S. businesses that are likely to suffer irreparable harm (permanent and severe financial loss) without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petitions before the end of FY 2019.
Among other terms and conditions, the temporary rule requires:
- For this one-time increase, any H-2B workers falling under this cap increase are limited to returning workers who were “issued an H-2B visa or otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2016, 2017, or 2018.”
- If an employer submits a request to DHS for an H-2B visa more than 45 days after the start date of work listed on the temporary labor certification, the employer would be required to conduct a “fresh round of recruitment” for U.S. workers.
Details: DHS/DOL rule, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/05/08/2019- 09500/exercise-of-time-limited-authority-to-increase-the-fiscal-year-2019-numerical-limitationfor-the; USCIS announcement with links to forms, https://www.uscis.gov/news/newsreleases/dhs-dol-publish-joint-rule-additional-visas-returning-foreign-workers.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.