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Applicants for US visitor, student, and work-related nonimmigrant visas, as well as family-based and employment-based immigrant visas (“green cards”), now have to provide information about the social media platforms used over the preceding 5-year period.  The updated visa application forms seek information about the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.  Applicants also have the opportunity to provide information about social media platforms not listed in the drop-down menus.  For each…

Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will terminate the temporary protected status (TPS) program for nationals of El Salvador on September 9, 2019.  Employment authorization documents (EADs) held by qualifying individuals that expired on March 9, 2018, were automatically extended through September 5, 2018, providing applicants time to apply for new EADs valid through the termination date. Because the USCIS has been unable to process EAD extension applications in…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that because the conditions in Nepal no longer support its designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the designation set to expire on July 24, 2018, will now terminate on June 24, 2019.  TPS allows qualifying persons inside the United States to remain and work lawfully in the United States until conditions in their home countries improve following civil war, natural disaster or similar extraordinary situations.  The final year…

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that it has completed the data entry for all H-1B cap petitions selected in the FY2019 lottery held in April.   Because receipts are mailed on a rolling basis as the data entry for each selected petition is completed, it is still possible that additional receipts for petitions selected in the lottery will arrive later this week.  The USCIS will now begin the process of returning to…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that because the conditions in Honduras no longer support its designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the designation set to expire on July 15, 2018, will terminate on January 5, 2020.  This conclusion is at odds with the State Department travel advisory, which says that travelers should reconsider travel to Honduras due to violent crime (murder, assault, rape, armed robbery, gang activity, etc.).  The travel advisory can be found…