USCIS

IMPORTANT UPDATE (APRIL 2023):  The U.S. government recently published a final rule confirming that it will increase nonimmigrant visa fees effective May 30, 2023. Among the cost changes are a 15% increase for travel, student, and exchange visas. The application fee for these non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas (except E category), will increase from $160 to $185. […]

What to expect and how to prepare for the green card medical exam The green card medical examination is an important step of the immigration process and is required for all family members seeking a family-based green card. The exam, to be completed by a government-authorized doctor, consists of several parts: A review of your […]

Income is very subjective, meaning that the decision comes down to the discretion of the officer reviewing your case. We've seen numerous cases where the USCIS officer didn't even accept the assets being included, or if they didn't accept them, or they didn't believe that they were adequate. Keep in mind when you're using assets, […]

"My wife in Nicaragua changed her cell phone number. Do we need to inform the USCIS?" Yes, it is highly recommended that you update any and all information as soon as it changes. Especially the cell phone number. The reason being is because the consulate sends text messages. Basically, you filled out a form that […]

In the Ombudsman Report of 2019, we discover that the USCIS has quietly killed the InfoPass process for getting an in-person meeting with a USCIS agent to get an update about a dragged-out or stalled case. The process is now called InfoMod.

Unfortunately, no you cannot choose the processing center or USCIS office where your paperwork is sent to. It’s going to be sent to one of two lock boxes either in Phoenix, Arizona or Chicago, Illinois. From here, they’ll receive your documents and then they use a process which we refer to as “load balancing” to distribute them to various centers.

In short, no, calling the USCIS will not speed up the process. It’s best if you just check the status online. You can go to the USCIS website, enter in your USCIS case number and you can obtain the case status right online. Just calling in to the USCIS is probably just going to make you lose your mind and get more frustrated.

The USCIS issued a memo on December 22 stating that fee-funded activities will not be affected. None of the visa types RapidVisa handles will be impeded from filing and continuing with processing based on this memo. Programs directly affected at the USCIS level are EB-5 investor visas, Conrad 30 Waiver Program for J-1 medical doctors, […]

Form I-797 is used for various types of communication known as ‘notice of action‘. It’s not a form you fill out. Rather, it’s a form that is mailed to you by the USCIS to notify you of certain action that’s been taken on your case.

The USCIS recently proposed fee changes in the Federal Register for all USCIS filing fees. While some of the fees are in fact decreasing slightly, such as the biometrics fee, a few fees are increasing significantly. The hardest-hit are children under 14 years old applying for adjustment of status, who will see the fee increase […]