Office of International Education and Development

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
Processing Posts for Ukrainian Visa Applicants Nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applications may be processed wherever a Ukrainian applicant is physically located and can schedule an appointment.	Travel	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident	March 1, 2022	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 These travel bans are no longer in effect.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
USCIS Announces Online Filing for DACA Renewal Forms U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that individuals who previously received deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) may now file Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, online.	Other	DACA	April 12, 2022	Ongoing
New H-1B Prevailing Wage Rule Effecting Researchers and Faculty Proposed rule to increase minimum wage levels by 39% - 49%; this would raise the mimimum wage universities are required to pay H-1B employees Applies to new H-1Bs and H-1B extension filed after effective date Proposed rule is not in effect and is currently frozen for review until November 14, 2021	Employment Other	H-1B	May 14, 2021	Ongoing
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
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
President Biden to Announce Uniting for Ukraine, a New Streamlined Process to Welcome Ukrainians Fleeing Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Beginning on April 25, 2022, U.S.-based individuals and entities can apply to DHS to sponsor Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced by Russia’s aggression through the Uniting for Ukraine process, which will go live that day on the DHS website. Any U.S. citizen or individual, including representatives of non-government organizations, can sponsor Ukrainian applicants. Individuals and organizations seeking to sponsor Ukrainian citizens in the United States will be required to declare their financial support and pass security background checks to protect against exploitation and abuse.	Travel Other	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Permanent resident Dependent DACA	April 25, 2022	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
I-9 Updates for Refugees and Asylees USCIS updated language to include reminders for employers that asylees and refugees may present acceptable documents in their possession	Employment	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar H-1B Dependent DACA	July 19, 2021	Ongoing
USCIS Increases Automatic Extension Period of Work Permits for Certain Applicants For those EADs that benefit from the automatic 180-day extension of validity for timely filing an extension, USCIS is providing an additional 360 days of validity (total of up to 540 days (180 + 360)). EADs that qualify for automatic renewal and will benefit from this temporary final rule are listed at: https://www.uscis.gov/eadautoextend They include those with pending asylum cases, pending I-485 applications (under Section 245), certain H-4 nonimmigrants who qualify for EADs, among many others.	Employment	H-1B Permanent resident Dependent	May 4, 2022	Ongoing