COVID-19 Updates for Immigration

Please bookmark this site for continuing information on this constantly and rapidly changing situation.

Additional Immigration Updates:

If you entered the United States under the Visa Waiver Program and you are unable to depart on time due to a Corona-related issue, please ask for a Satisfactory Departure *before* your authorized period of stay expires (up to 30-day extension).

USCIS has announced that it is suspending premium processing on H-1B cap-subject petitions. If filed as a change of status from F-1 to H-1B, premium processing will resume by May 27. For all other cap-subject H-1B petitions, premium processing will resume no earlier than June 29.

Expedited Removals expected to increase immediately. Trump administration announced on March 20 that migrants who enter the United States from either border without proper documents will be removed without delay to Canada, Mexico, and other countries and will NOT be held in a detention facility.

Immigration Court in Boston, MA has canceled ALL hearings through April 10, 2020, for NON-DETAINED respondents. Telephonic hearings have been granted as of March 26, 2020 for detained cases at the Boston Immigration Court.

U.S. Embassies worldwide have suspended Immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing until further notice. The U.S. Department of State has also raised the travel alert to all countries to Level 4 to discourage Americans from traveling.

USCIS has announced relaxed deadlines in responding to Requests for Evidence (RFE) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID) that are dated between March 1 and May 1. Applicants will have up to 60 days beyond the deadline set forth in the RFE/ NOID to provide their response to USCIS.

Applicants who had an appointment scheduled with an ASC on or after the March 18 closure or who filed an I-765 extension will have their application processed using previously submitted biometrics.  This will remain in effect until ASCs resume normal operations.

USCIS scheduled to re-open administrative offices on June 4, 2020.

The Boston Immigration Court has announced that it will reopen and begin hearing non-detained cases on June 29, 2020. There will no Master Calendar Hearings at this time. hearings that were postponed due to Covid-19 will be re-scheduled and hearing notices will be mailed out to attorneys and respondents. Email filings will be deactivated for sixty (60) days after resuming non-detained hearings.