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Category: Study In The US

  • Major Changes for Canadians Flying Into the United States

    U.S. vaccination requirement for air passengers worries Canadians with mixed vaccines U.S. currently doesn’t recognize people with some COVID-19 vaccine mixes as being fully vaccinated. Find out more in the video below and check out this related article from the CBC. If you have any questions, contact Berardi Immigration Law today. We would love to […]
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  • Crossing the Border: Updates to the H-1B Category

    A federal judge has ended a Trump administration regulation designed to make it difficult for international students to gain H-1B status. The H-1B program allows companies and other employers in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and […]
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  • USCIS Policy Change Regarding Change of Status to F-1

    Historically, USCIS has only approved applications requesting a change to F-1 status if it falls within 30 days of the program start date listed on the applicant’s Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status (Form I20). As such, USCIS has required nonimmigrants who are applying for a COS to continuously apply for and obtain nonimmigrant […]
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  • NIEs Automatically Extended for 12 Months

    On July 6th 2021, the Department of State released guidance confirming that, “existing National Interest Exceptions (NIE) will be valid for 12 months from the date of approval and for multiple entries, as long as they are used for the purpose under which they were granted.” The 12-month extension applies retroactively to all existing NIEs […]
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  • Update: Current COVID-19 Travel Restrictions for Travel to the U.S. & National Interest Exceptions

    The U.S. continues to limit travel into the U.S. due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. As many are aware, India is experiencing the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreak. The country is facing a new wave of COVID-19 due to the widespread, on-going transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and now accounts for over one-third […]
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  • F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Now File Form I-765 Online

    On March 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories: (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT; (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for science, […]
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  • Breakdown of Biden’s Immigration Bill to Congress

    Biden’s comprehensive immigration bill—known as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021—was formally introduced in the House on February 18, 2021, by Representative Linda Sanchez (D-Calif) and in the Senate on February 22, 2021, by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). The bill calls for broad immigration reform, including an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented […]
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  • Things to Consider when Attending Interviews with USCIS in the wake of COVID-19

    The outbreak of the coronavirus has presented several challenges for applicants seeking to enter U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices for interviews. For instance, it has become a norm for USCIS to reschedule interviews if any party physically present at an interview states they have traveled outside the U.S. in the last 14 days. […]
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  • Top Items on President-Elect Biden’s Immigration To-Do List in 2021

    President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to make several changes regarding U.S. immigration, many of which seek to reverse President Trump’s previous initiatives while in office. Specifically, Biden plans to:  “Take urgent action to undo Trump’s damage and reclaim America’s values;” “Modernize America’s immigration system;” “Welcome immigrants in our communities;” “Reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and […]
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  • Changes to US & Canadian Immigration in 2021

    Our Managing Partner, Rosanna Berardi, recently wrote about changes to US and Canadian immigration in The Lawyer’s Daily: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for employment-based immigration will primarily focus on reversing what President Donald Trump has done since 2017. This includes turning back all of Trump’s executive actions restricting travel, limiting green cards and guest […]
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