Starting June 10, 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will resume Premium Processing for all remaining H-1B petitions. This completes a trial arrangement whereby USCIS allowed limited Premium Processing starting May 20 for H-1B petitions with a Change of Status. The approach was introduced after recent years eliminated Premium Processing altogether, resulting in lengthy delays, with some H-1B petitions remaining under adjudication even after the usual annual start date of October 1.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a caution on June 4, 2019, stating that H-1B petitions will be rejected if they fail to include names and addresses on Part 1 of Form I-129. Specifically, applicants are cautioned not to list outside counsel, clients, or other third parties, in such fields requesting the names and addresses of the petitioning U.S. employer. This measure, which goes into effect starting August 5, 2019, comes as part of the current administration’s moves to raise barriers to entry for the H-1B category overall. 

Washington DC, June 2, 2019 – The US Department of State recently announced that it will be explicitly requiring visa applicants who seek new visas or who are renewing existing visas to provide access to their personal social media accounts as part of the application process. The changes are being implemented by new questions found in two electronic forms that are core for all visa applications to the US filed at US Consulates: Form DS160 — for all temporary visas — and Form DS260 — for all green cards to the US.