We bring you another weekly roundup of the most exciting US immigration news updates. Let’s find out what went down this week.
Employers & Immigrants File Lawsuit to Block USCIS Fee Hike
A group of employers and immigrants filed a dispute against the increase in USCIS fees effective April 1, 2024. Filed in the U.S. District Court Tenth Circuit, this dispute requests to halt the fee hike as it was issued without due prior notice. Furthermore, it highlights this hike’s unnecessary burden on some employers and foreign investors interested in obtaining permanent residency in the U.S.
Unless the U.S. district court judge permits the motion for a preliminary injunction request, the new USCIS fee is still effective as of April 1, 2024.
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Green Card Backlog Decreased by 4% in February
According to the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC), the green card backlog witnessed a 4% fall in the immigrant visa (IV), from 338,256 in January to 326,415 in February.
A 2% decrease is seen in the number of green card applicants with complete documents ready for interview scheduling, elevating from 380,407 in January to 374,532. Moreover, the number of scheduled green card interviewers increased to 48,117 in February from 42,151 in January.
USCIS Extends Registration Period for 2025 H-1B Cap
The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap is extended by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
A temporary system outage affecting some users caused the USCIS to extend this registration period by several days, allowing more applicants to register. However, this registration period was initially set to run through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024, which closed on March 25, 2024.
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Mexican Government Speaks Out Against Controversial Texas Border Law
Responding to Texas’ disputed Senate Bill 4, the Mexican government stated that the law would result in substantial tension at the border. Moreover, they announced that they would not process returning migrants to its territory from Texas under any circumstances.
Furthermore, this bill would enable state judges to order migrants’ removal from the U.S. to border-crossing areas in Mexico, regardless of nationality. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked this law.
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