Office of International Programs

US Immigration Updates

US Immigration Updates

What is this database?

This resource is a searchable database of US immigration updates impacting members of the Appalachian community. This is a general information summary database of select immigration updates and is not intended to be comprehensive.

This table is updated weekly on Mondays.

Please contact issso@appstate.edu if you would like to suggest an update or if you have questions or concerns regarding your specific situation.

Title	Topic	Population impacted	Effective start date of guidance	End date of guidance
State Department updates on U.S. visa news See the most up to date visa and travel information from the US State Department	Travel Other	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident Dependent		Ongoing
Phased Resumption of Routine Visa Services at US Embassies US State Department suspended routine visa services in March 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic US Embassies worldwide began re-opening on an ad hoc basis in July 2020 Additional updates announced in December 2020, February 2021, and April 2021 Check your local embassy's status for visa appointments	Travel Immigration/Visa status	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident Dependent	February 24, 2020	Ongoing
Extended Flexibility for Certain OPT Applicants Students who timely filed their I-765 application for OPT or STEM OPT between October 1, 2020 and October 31, 2021, and then later received a rejection, may refile their OPT applications by November 30, 2021. For applications received through October 31, 2021, applicants can file the I-765 up to 120 days before the program end date (normal regulations require applications to be filed no more than 90 days before the program end date).	Employment Other	F-1 student	October 1, 2020	October 31, 2021
Completing Form I-9 for Employees with Extended Work Authorization under DACA When beginning new employment, employees must complete an I-9 Form and show appropriate documentation to prove their authorization to work in the US DACA employees may choose to present their unexpired Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with Category code of C33 that was issued on or after July 28, 2020, along with an I-797 Extension Notice issued by USCIS that shows a one-year extension of their deferred action and work authorization	Employment	DACA	January 4, 2021	Ongoing
Work Permits and Relief from Removal for DACA Students DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students may request temporary work permits and relief from removal	Other	DACA	January 20, 2021	Ongoing
Presidential Proclamation Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the US ("Muslim Bans") Effective immediately, this Executive Order revokes the previous bans on entry to the United States often referred to as the "Muslim Bans." These travel bans are no longer in effect.	Travel	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident Dependent	January 20, 2021	Ongoing
Guidance for USCIS cases pending more than 90 days If more than 90 days have passed since you filed a petition/application with USCIS, you may submit a request for case assistance with the CIS Ombudsman, and our office will reach out to USCIS to resolve your issue.	Employment Other	F-1 student H-1B	February 11, 2021	Ongoing
USCIS Update Regarding Applicants Filing Form I-765 for OPT Regardless of when the USCIS processes your application, your received date will reflect the date it actually arrived While STEM OPT application is pending, previous I-20 with OPT Recommendation + previous EAD card can serve as work authorization documentation If you have not received a receipt notice after 8 weeks of application delivery, please contact USCIS	Employment	F-1 student	February 18, 2021	Ongoing
H-1B Travel Ban and Exceptions June 22, 2020: Presidential Procolamation suspends entry to the US for any H-1B or H-4, or new green card holder who is entering the US in H status and was not present in the US or had a valid H visa on June 24, 2020 Suspends entry to the US for other J-1 categories, but NOT for J-1 Scholars or Students Certain H-1B holders may be eligible to apply for a National Interest Exception, allowing them to enter the US despite the travel ban February 24, 2021: Biden rescinded the portion of the order that bans entry of new green card holders; he left intact the sections temporarily barring entry for new H-1B and H-4 workers Proclamation expired on March 31, 2021 and is no longer in effect	Travel Employment Other	J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident	February 24, 2021	March 31, 2021
DHS Designates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months USCIS has automatically extended the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) previously issued under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Venezueladesignation. EADs covered by this extension are valid through March 10, 2025 and will list: An expiration date of March 10, 2024 or September 9, 2022 on the EAD, and A category code of A-12 or C-19. You can find more information in the advance copy of the Federal Register notice explaining this EAD extension. The official version of the Federal Register notice will be available on USCIS’s TPS Venezuela page (en español). If your EAD is covered by this automatic extension, you can use your existing EAD through March 10, 2025 as evidence of your permission to work.	Employment Other	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident Dependent DACA	March 9, 2021	March 10, 2025

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