Category: students

  In an earlier notice, the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) suspended certain requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students whose country of citizenship is Syria and who have been experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil war in Syria since March 2011 (PDF). A new notice… Read More

On March 1, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began transferring certain cases to the Potomac Service Center (PSC) from other service centers to balance workloads. The affected casework includes Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, filed by F-1 and M-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and J-1 dependents.  If USCIS transfers a… Read More

On March 11, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule amending regulations to expand optional practical training (OPT) for students with U.S. degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and create new obligations for F-1 students and F-1 employers starting May 10, 2016.  OPT is a form of temporary employment… Read More

On October 19, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new proposed rule on expanding F-1 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT). Specifically, the proposal would allow F-1 STEM students who have elected to pursue 12 months of OPT in the United States to extend the OPT period by… Read More

The Department of Homeland Security has published a notice in the Federal Register extending Haitian temporary protected status (TPS) for an additional 18 months, ending on July 22, 2014 (PDF). The 60-day re-registration period for current Haiti TPS beneficiaries who wish to maintain their TPS began on October 1, 2012, and will run through November… Read More