We are updating the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify the criteria and circumstances for expedited processing; improve request for evidence (RFE) and notice of intent to deny (NOID) guidance; and increase the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens with pending adjustment of status applications.

Read our news release for more information.

We are updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to provide clarification regarding certain naturalization applications filed by veterans of the U.S. armed forces under section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

The updated guidance clarifies that veterans who are eligible for naturalization may be admitted or paroled into the United States for the purpose of completing the naturalization interview and ceremony (if approved) in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Read our web alert for more information.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) have published a joint temporary final rule making available an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker visas for fiscal year (FY) 2021 to employers who are likely to suffer irreparable harm without the ability to employ additional workers. The supplemental H-2B visa allocation consists of 16,000 visas available only to returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years (FY 2018, 2019, or 2020). The remaining 6,000 visas, which are exempt from the returning worker requirement, are assigned for nationals of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador (collectively called the Northern Triangle).

Read our news release for more information.

We are now accepting applications for two funding opportunities under the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. These opportunities will provide up to $10 million in grants for immigrant-serving organizations that provide citizenship instruction and civic integration services in communities across the country. Applications are due July 16, 2021.

For more information, please read our press release or visit uscis.gov/grants for more information.

The 2019 Public Charge Final Rule is no longer in effect, and DHS will partner with federal agencies to ensure impacted individuals are aware.

Read more here: Public Charge Letter to Interagency Partners.

• March 10: The Public Charge Final Rule

We are no longer applying the August 2019 Public Charge Final Rule. On March 9, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit lifted its stay of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois’ Nov. 2, 2020, decision which vacated the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule nationwide. USCIS immediately stopped applying the Public Charge Final Rule to all pending applications and petitions.

For more information, see our main public charge webpage, our public charge litigation page, and DHS’s news release.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, to take appropriate action to preserve and fortify DACA, consistent with applicable law.