F-1 Students No Longer Required To Bridge The Gap

USCIS recently announced it will no longer require F-1 students to bridge the gap.  Previously USCIS had required students who filed a change of status application to F-1, to also file a second application in order to extend their current status.  Therefore, someone who entered in B-2 and wished to change to F-1 was required...

USCIS has now closed its Biometrics Processing Unit (BPU) in Alexandria, VA and therefore it is no longer possible to reschedule your biometrics in writing. If you cannot make your biometrics appointment you will need to call USCIS to reschedule this.  You can contact USCIS by calling the contact center at 800-375-5283, however, you must...

Filing a marriage-based petition is often considered to be one of the easiest and fastest ways for someone to obtain a green card.  However, if an applicant entered the U.S. without inspection, in other words illegally, then it becomes necessary to file a Hardship Waiver.  This turns a relatively straight forward process into a much...

Students on F-1 status need to ensure they maintain status.  A failure to maintain status could result in a violation which could have an impact on their immigration future.  At PLG we often see requests for evidence questioning maintenance of status for F-1 students, who have submitted an H-1B cap petition requesting a change of...

In this article, we will discuss the continuous residence requirement as it relates to filing an application for Naturalization.  For the full requirements for Naturalization please refer to our previous article: The concept of continuous residence refers to the applicant maintaining a permanent dwelling place in the US, typically for a period of 5 years. ...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now withdraw its duration of status rule.  Students have for a long time had the benefit of being admitted for the duration of status.  In other words, unlike other nonimmigrants, they are not admitted for a specific length of time.  This flexibility has allowed them to extend their...

Last October saw thousands of people applying for downgrades due to the forward movement in the Employment-based EB-3 priority dates. By filing a downgrade, applicants were able to concurrently file an I-485, Application to adjust status and also apply for employment authorization and travel document. One client, working as a Physical Therapist had asked us...

Having previously written two articles on Day 1 CPT (Curricular Practical Training) I keep being asked whether I would recommend Day 1 CPT and what are the potential consequences of taking it. If you haven’t read my previous articles, please find the links below: https://patel-law-group.local/why-day-1-cpt-is-not-a-good-idea-and-can-cause-more-problems-than-it-solves/ https://patel-law-group.local/day-1-cpt-revisited/ Please note that the first article was written during...