Immigration News Briefs
Revision for Change of Status/Dependent Applications
A revised Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change
Nonimmigrant Status, will require most applicants and any
family members included in the application to
• Appear in person at a USCIS Application Support Center
to have their biometrics taken (fingerprints, photo, and/
or digital signature), regardless of age, and pay a
biometrics fee of $85, and
• Sign the application to change or extend their
status. Parents and guardians may sign on behalf of
children under 14 or those incompetent to sign.
Previously, only the principal applicant was required to
sign the form.
USCIS is expected to publish the new form on March 11,
the effective date of the new requirements. Prior editions
of Form I-539 will not be accepted after March 10, unless
USCIS decides to provide a grace period.
Some categories affected by this revision:
• Spouses and children of H-1B, L-1, and other principal
employment-based nonimmigrant beneficiaries;
• B-1/B-2 business visitors;
• F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors, for certain
changes and extensions of status (but not changes of
status to H-1B, L-1, or another employer-sponsored
nonimmigrant category).
Longer processing times expected
Biometrics collection and related background checks
will mean that affected foreign nationals may have to
wait longer for USCIS adjudication of their changes and
extensions of status. Also, the processing of applications for
employment authorization documents (EADs) filed with
Form I-539 could be delayed. This includes EAD applications
for H-4, L-2, and E spouses.
Impact on FY 2020 H-1B cap season
Under USCIS’s current plans, the new I-539 form will
be required for changes of status to H-4 filed by the dependent
family members of foreign nationals being sponsored
under the FY 2020 H-1B cap, which begins April 1, 2019.
However, the new I-539 form is scheduled to be
released only a few weeks before the April 1 start of the FY
2020 cap filing period, and it will take effect immediately.
This leaves limited time to prepare H-4 applications before
the cap filing period opens.
The business immigration community is working to
make USCIS aware of the impact of the new Form I-539 on
time-sensitive H-1B cap cases.
Online Status Feature for Some Asylum Applicants
Applicants with a pending affirmative asylum application with USCIS can now check the status of their applications online at uscis.gov/casestatus. Defensive asylum applicants whose cases are pending in immigration court will not be able to check status online, but will continue to check their case status through an asylum office in person or by phone, fax, or email.
APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES FOR March 2019
|
FAMILY |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
22Oct11 |
22Oct11 |
|
2A |
08Jan17 |
08Jan17 |
|
2B |
01Aug12 |
01Aug12 |
|
3rd |
08Sep06 |
08Sep06 |
|
4th |
08Jul04 |
22Sep05 |
|
EMPLOYMENT |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
22Feb17 |
01Jan18 |
|
2nd |
09Apr09 |
Current |
|
3rd |
22May09 |
Current |
|
Other |
22May09 |
Current |
|
4th |
Current |
Current |
|
5th |
Current |
Current1B |
DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS - March 2019
|
FAMILY |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
22Apr12 |
22Apr12 |
|
2A |
08Dec17 |
08Dec17 |
|
2B |
22Jun14 |
22Jun14 |
|
3rd |
01Mar07 |
01Mar07 |
|
4th |
08Feb05 |
22Jun06 |
|
EMPLOYMENT |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
01Oct17 |
01Jun18 |
|
2nd |
22May09 |
Current |
|
3rd |
01Apr10 |
Current |
|
Other |
01Apr10 |
Current |
|
4th |
Current |
Current |
|
5th |
Current |
Current1B |
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2019/visa-bulletin-for-march-2019.html
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
