Page 100 - Khabar Magazine (February 2020)

Immigration

New Policies for 2020, Part 1

Provided by HUMERA SUBHANI

H1B registration update as early as December 2020, although no start date has
The USCIS is announcing the implementation of the been announced. DHS has remained silent on how exactly
H-1B registration process for H-1B cap-subject petitions. the testing will change, but there may be pilot testing in
The initial H-1B petition registration period will begin the fall with volunteers. Based on the comments of the
on March 1, 2020. Starting then, USCIS will require H-1B Trump administration, applicants can assume that the
cap-subject petitioners, including those eligible for the testing will be more challenging than in previous revisions.
advanced degree exemption, to first register electronically Dec 2019 guidance details 15 examples of “unlaw-
with USCIS and pay the associated H-1B registration fee ful acts,” such as drunk driving, bank fraud, not filing or
before being eligible to properly file an H-1B cap-subject paying taxes, and lying to the government.
petition for Fiscal Year 2021 H-1B numerical allocations.
USCIS intends to close the initial registration period APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES—FEBRUARY 2020
on March 20, 2020 and will announce the actual end FAMILY India Pak/Bangladesh
date on its website. After the initial registration period 1st 22Aug13 22Aug13
closes, USCIS will conduct the initial selection process, 2A Current Current
2B
22Aug14
22Aug14
and petitioners with selected registrations will be eligible 3rd 22Nov07 22Nov07
to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for those selected 4th 22Nov04 01Jul06
registrations during the associated filing. Petitioners EMPLOYMENT India Pak/Bangladesh
must register using an online account. USCIS will provide 1st 01Jan15 01Dec18
step-by-step instructions on its website at www.uscis.gov. 2nd 19May09 Current
USCIS fees increase 3rd 08Jan09 Current
The January 2020 Khabar column laid out the Other 08Jan09 Current
fee increases to take effect this year. Some significant 4th Current Current
increases include an 83% increase for Citizenship (N-400) 5th 01Sep18 Current
application—from $640 to $1,170. The cost to file an
adjustment application with ancillary benefits (work/trav-
el permits) will increase to $2,195 from $1,225 and there DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS—FEBRUARY 2020
will be new fees for DACA and Asylum petitions, which FAMILY India Pak/Bangladesh
were previously filed at no charge. Employment-based 1st 22Mar14 22Mar14
cases are also facing large hikes in fees. 2A 01Dec19 01Dec19
The earliest that the fee increase can take place is in 2B 22Apr15 22Apr15
March 2020, so many applicants are filing before the new 3rd 22Jul08 22Jul08
4th
22Jul07
22Jul05
rates will be effective.
Citizenship testing—also moral character EMPLOYMENT India Pak/Bangladesh
A DHS memorandum released in May 2019 and titled 1st 15Mar17 Current
“Revision of the Naturalization Civics Tests” announced 2nd 01Jul09 Current
01Feb10
01Jan19
3rd
there would be changes in the exam questions about U.S. Other 01Feb10 01Jan19
government and history, as well as the oral test of knowl- 4th Current Current
edge of the English language. The change could take effect 5th Current Current

96 • FEBRUARY• 2020 KHABAR MAGAZINE