POLICY & ANALYSIS
Application guides, policy context and the details behind immigration decisions.
The article discusses Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, analyzes its conflict with the Fourteenth Amendment and Supreme Court precedents, and explores whether there are workarounds and who the key figures would be if direct confrontation with the Constitution and precedents is not possible.
The Department of Homeland Security published the final H-1B reform rule on December 17, 2024, effective January 17, 2025, affecting F-1 students in the 2025 lottery. This article reviews key changes: extended Cap-Gap, tightened 'specialty occupation' definition, program integrity measures, expanded cap-exempt eligibility, and continued 'one person, one lottery,' and analyzes impacts on Day 1 CPT students.
Based on the State Department's FAQ on the I-864 affidavit of support, this compilation covers the National Visa Center's review role, how to complete and submit the forms, household size counting, sponsor eligibility and domicile requirements, poverty guideline and asset rules, use of joint sponsors, and public charge considerations at the visa interview.
This article groups Day 1 CPT schools by application requirements: some waive essays and recommendation letters for all programs, some only for U.S. degree holders, and others still require essays or letters, with specific word counts and numbers of letters listed.
Based on a submission by a student surnamed Lin and interview content, this article describes how the author chose Westcliff University's MSEM program after not being selected in the H1B lottery during OPT, and shares experience applying for the school's scholarship: applications must be filed three to four months in advance, require extensive materials, and are easy to miss the window, along with tips on essays, recommendation letters, and explaining financial hardship.
This article outlines situations and general procedures for withdrawing after H1B selection, and reviews publicly posted refund policies at several Day 1 CPT schools, including prorated refunds, fixed refund windows, no-refund policies, and tuition transfer options, while reminding readers to confirm status transition and school terms before withdrawing.
This article outlines H-1B provisions in the conservative think tank's Project 2025, including reducing the quota, raising wage requirements, shifting to a merit-based selection system, and tightening employer oversight, and analyzes their potential impact on international students seeking U.S. employment. It also reviews changes in H-1B denial rates and OPT processing during Trump's presidency and introduces alternatives such as Day 1 CPT. Note that the project has not been approved and implementation depends on future political and legislative processes.
The article outlines the Day 1 CPT process under two scenarios: Transfer F1, estimated at 5-10 business days, covering school application, SEVIS transfer, registration and CPT approval; and Initial F1/Change of Status, estimated at three to six months or more, covering financial documentation, change of status or visa interview. It also addresses confirming SEVIS status, choosing a release date, and work restrictions some schools place on Initial F1 students.
This article summarizes USCIS's 2024 updated premium processing guidance, covering government-interest requests, expedited handling of I-131 travel documents for urgent travel, and criteria including severe financial loss, humanitarian emergencies, nonprofit organizations, government interest, and clear USCIS error, along with submission and processing procedures.
USCIS has announced that, effective October 11, 2024, it will use the June 17, 2024 edition of Form I-131, renamed "Application for Travel Document, Parole Document, and Arrival/Departure Record." The prior April 1, 2024 edition is void as of the same date, with no grace period: older editions postmarked on or after October 11 will be rejected, while older editions postmarked before that date will still be accepted.
This article explains that for a B1/B2 extension, the start of the period of authorized stay while awaiting a decision is based on the USCIS receipt date, not the mailing delivery date. It recommends online filing when time is short to obtain a receipt quickly, and notes risks of mailed applications being rejected for errors or I-797 notices being lost.
On September 25, USCIS updated its policy manual guidance on the Child Status Protection Act, clarifying how CSPA age is calculated in special circumstances: for applicants granted an exception to the "sought to acquire" requirement due to extraordinary circumstances where a visa remained available for one year, and for those whose visa became unavailable after being available and who can show the failure to timely apply to adjust status resulted from extraordinary circumstances, CSPA age may be based on the date the immigrant visa first became available.
