More Interviews Now Being Scheduled By The Department of Homeland Security
By Michael H. Markovitch, Esq. on August, 30, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security recently announced that they will begin requiring holders of employment-based visas (https://www.immigrationlawyernewyork.com/blog/tag/employment-based-visa)to be interviewed in order to update their status, according to officials at the USCIS agency and a spokesman. Critics say the move critics could jam the already-backlogged visa application system.
An internal agency memo from the USCIS DHS estimated that more than 130,000 applicants annually would now be required to be interviewed before changing their status from one visa category, such as technical worker, to another category, such as agriculture worker. This has not been done before.
The plan is a realization of Trump's March executive order that called for heightened scrutiny of visa applicants.
A USCIS DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the new policy may be expanded to include other categories, such as students and green-card holders, that do not currently require interviews to change status. The increase could expand the number of interviews conducted to more than a million a year, the official said.
Stay tuned!
For further information or questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Michael H. Markovitch (https://www.immigrationlawyernewyork.com/).