Business Immigration in a Minute by Honigman LLP

• USCIS announced that F-1 students applying for Pre-Completion, Post-Completion, or a 24-month STEM Extension of Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) may now file the Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online. USCIS will host a webinar on April 22, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST to provide an overview of how eligible applicants can file the Form I-765 online.
  
  

• As USCIS continues to issue invitations to stakeholders to re-file certain I-485 applications that were previously rejected between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, please note that USCIS is no longer applying the 2019 Public Charge Rule. As a result, the Form I-944 and its supporting documents are not required for re-filed I-485 applications.
  
  

• The Department of State (“DOS”) recently answered some Frequently Asked Questions on its Facebook page regarding immigrant visa interview backlogs, including what DOS is doing to reduce the backlogs, reapplication procedures for individuals who were refused an immigrant visa due to the now-revoked Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983, the status of employment-based immigrant visa interviews, and more.
  
  

• As travel complexities continue to arise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) reminded stakeholders of its Current Policy toward Boarding of Lawful Permanent Residents, which was issued on March 5, 2021. The policy includes boarding guidance for holders of unexpired valid permanent resident cards, re-entry permits, expired permanent resident cards, conditional residents with expired permanent resident cards, and SB-1 visa holders who are abroad and attempting to re-enter the United States.

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