If you are from Lebanon and experiencing economic hardship as a direct result of the current crisis, special work authorization may be available. DM me or read here to learn more: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/11/27/2024-27787/employment-authorization-for-lebanese-f-1-nonimmigrant-students-experiencing-severe-economic

I'm going to share something that hopefully nobody here will ever need to use. The T Visa allows certain victims of human trafficking to remain in the U.S. Among other things, the policy guidance updates emphasizes a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach to adjudicating applications for T nonimmigrant status and clarifies the types of evidence that will be accepted in considering these applications. For a full reading view the policy update here: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20241023-VictimsOfTrafficking.pdf

Great update here for those interested in an Entrepreneur Visa in the future. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is issuing a final rule to update the investment and revenue requirements for the International Entrepreneur Parole Program, adjusting for inflation. The program allows certain startup entrepreneurs to apply for parole if they show potential for rapid business growth and job creation. Originally established in 2017, the rule mandates an automatic adjustment of these financial thresholds every three years. Starting October 1, 2024, entrepreneurs must meet new criteria, such as securing at least $311,071 from investors or $124,429 from government grants within 18 months before applying. For re-parole, their startups must have received at least $622,142 in funding, created five jobs, or reached a revenue of $622,142 with 20% annual growth. Full announcement: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/07/25/2024-16138/international-entrepreneur-program-fiscal-year-2025-automatic-increase-of-investment-and-revenue

I get asked about EB-1 Visas A LOT... Well, here's some good news- USCIS has clarified and expanded the type of evidence that they are willing to accept to confirm 'extraordinary ability', specifically: - Confirms that we [USCIS] consider a person’s receipt of team awards under the criterion for lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor; - Clarifies that we consider past memberships under the membership criterion; - Removes language suggesting published material must demonstrate the value of the person’s work and contributions to satisfy the published material criterion; and - Explains that while the dictionary defines an “exhibition” as a public showing not limited to art, the relevant regulation expressly modifies that term with “artistic,” such that we will only consider non-artistic exhibitions as part of a properly supported claim of comparable evidence. Read here for the full announcement: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-issues-new-guidance-on-eb-1-eligibility-criteria-for-individuals-with-extraordinary-ability

Did you know that you can contact SEVIS directly? While not often needed, the SEVP Help Desk can be a great resource for international students under the right circumstances. Most often, I would recommend checking with me or your school DSO before doing so, but if you need to, the phone number to contact the Help Desk is 1-800-892-4829. Full message: Over the weekend, the SEVP Response Center (SRC) launched a new telephone system for both domestic and international callers. The updated system provides stakeholders with a new interactive voice response (IVR) menu that allows callers to choose from the following options: - Principal or designated school officials, - Responsible officers or alternate responsible officers, - F-1 or M-1 students, - J-1 exchange visitors, - SEVP field representatives or government officials, or - All others. The new IVR also recognizes specific number options on the keypad and routes callers to an SRC customer service representative according to their IVR menu choice. For questions about the updated SRC phone system, please contact the SRC via phone at 703-603-3400 or 1-800-892-4829 or via email at SEVP@ice.dhs.gov. The SRC is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, except for federal holidays.