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
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
Change of Status to F-1 Students No Longer Need to Submit "Bridge the Gap" Applications USCIS announced new policy guidance that eliminates the need for individuals who have applied for a change of status (for example, for B, H-4, J, or L) to F-1 student to apply to change or extend their nonimmigrant status while their initial F-1 change of status (COS) application is pending. Under the previous policy, applicants needed to maintain status up to 30 days before the program start date listed on their Form I-20, Certificate for Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, which required them to file extensions, or an initial COS and subsequent extensions ensuring that they would not have a “gap” in status. Now students can file a change of status and may remain in the US while their application is pending, without needing to continue to apply to extend their previous status.	Other	F-1 student J-1 student J-1 scholar Dependent DACA	July 20, 2021	Ongoing
DHS Issues Regulation to Preserve and Fortify DACA The DHS final DACA rule: Maintains the existing threshold criteria for DACA; Retains the existing process for DACA requestors to seek work authorization; and Affirms the longstanding policy that DACA is not a form of lawful status but that DACA recipients, like other deferred action recipients, are considered “lawfully present” for certain purposes.	Travel Employment Other	DACA	October 31, 2022	Ongoing
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Renewal Update A federal court found DACA unlawful. The government cannot grant new DACA applications. But existing DACA recipients are allowed to retain their grant of DACA and apply for renewal All individuals whose DACA requests were granted prior to this decision will continue to have and be eligible to renew DACA Frequently Asked Questions available, as well as Reminders to DACA Recipients and Employers in Spanish and English	Immigration/Visa status Employment Other	DACA	July 16, 2021	Ongoing
USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 24 Months for Green Card Renewals Effective Sept. 26, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is automatically extending the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 24 months for lawful permanent residents who file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card.	Travel Immigration/Visa status Employment Other	Permanent resident	September 26, 2022	Ongoing