People's Immigrant Resource Center

USCIS Modifies H-1B Selection Process to Prioritize Wages Release Date 01/07/2021 Rule Expected to Protect the Economic Interests of American Workers... WASHINGTONU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a final rule that will modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and better ensure the most highly skilled foreign workers benefit from the temporary employment program. Modifying the H-1B cap selection process will incentivize employers to offer higher salaries, and/or petition for higher-skilled positions, and establish a more certain path for businesses to achieve personnel needs and remain globally competitive. The H-1B temporary visa program has been exploited and abused by employers primarily seeking to fill entry-level positions and reduce overall business costs, said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow. The current H-1B random selection process makes it difficult for businesses to plan their hiring, fails to leverage the program to compete for the best and brightest international workforce, and has predominately resulted in the annual influx of foreign labor placed in low-wage positions at the expense of U.S. workers. This effort will only affect H-1B registrations (or petitions, if the registration process is suspended) submitted by prospective petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. It will be implemented for both the H-1B regular cap and the H-1B advanced degree exemption, but it will not change the order of selection between the two as established by the H-1B registration final rule. The final rule will be effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. DHS previously published a notice of proposed rulemaking on Nov. 2, 2020, and carefully considered the public comments received before deciding to publish the proposed regulations as a final rule. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis ), Instagram (/uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook (/uscis), and LinkedIn (/uscis ). Last Reviewed/Updated: 01/07/2021 https://www.uscis.gov//uscis-modifies-h-1b-selection-proce

New Filing Address for Forms I-924 and I-924A On Jan. 5, we changed the filing location for Form I-924, Application For Regional Center Designation Under the Immigrant Investor Program, and Form I-924A, Annual Certification of Regional Center. Applicants previously filed these forms at the California Service Center. Now, they must send them to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox. When filing at a USCIS lockbox, applicants may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s che...ck, or credit card. For more information, please see the Where to File and Filing Fee sections of the I-924 and I-924A webpages. Last Reviewed/Updated: 01/05/2021 https://www.uscis.gov//new-filing-address-for-forms-i-924-

USCIS Extends Transitional Parole for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status Applicants USCIS announced today that it will automatically extend parole, and employment authorization, if applicable, for parolees who timely applied for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term resident status. This specific extension of parole applies only to current parolees who timely filed Form I-955, Application for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status, and Form I-765, Application fo...r Employment Authorization, and whose applications remain pending on Dec. 31, 2020. USCIS will automatically extend their parole (and employment authorization, if applicable) without interruption through June 30, 2021, or the date that USCIS makes a final decision on the parolee’s Form I955 and Form I-765, whichever is earlier. The CNMI long-term resident status was created by the Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act (Public Law 116-24), signed into law on June 25, 2019. The new law specifically gave the Department of Homeland Security the discretion to authorize parole, with work authorization, for these aliens during the time period needed to implement the new law. USCIS has previously extended this parole twice, once on June 17, and then again on Aug. 11. For eligible parolees whose timely filed Form I-955 and Form I-765 remain pending on Dec. 31, and who have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), if applicable, expiring on or before Dec. 31, the following documentation will serve as evidence of identity and work authorization for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, purposes until June 30, 2021, (or the date that USCIS makes a final decision on their long-term resident status application, whichever is earlier): A copy of this web alert; Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document, bearing category code C-11 with an expiration date on or before June 29, 2020; and Evidence that the alien filed Form I-955 and Form I-765 on or before Aug. 17, 2020. This may be a copy of Form I-797C, Notice of Action, reflecting that the parolee has filed Form I765 requesting the classification (class) code of (c)(37), or if unavailable, a copy of the alien’s Form I-955 and Form I-765 with a mail receipt. Eligible aliens had 180 days, until Aug. 17, 2020, to apply for CNMI long-term resident status. USCIS announced the Aug. 17 deadline when it opened the application period on Feb. 19, 2020. If USCIS denies a parolee’s Form I-955 and Form I-765, their parole status (and employment authorization, if applicable) will end and they must depart the CNMI. Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/30/2020 https://www.uscis.gov//uscis-extends-transitional-parole-f