Posts Tagged ‘uscis’

Backlogs at US Consulates, New USCIS forms, Contract Entirety Clauses, and Board Term Limits

Wednesday, June 15th, 2022

LAW & DISORDER: Performing Arts Division June 16, 2022 INSIDE THIS ISSUE » Backlogs at US Consulates « » New USCIS forms « » Contract Entirety Clauses « » Board Term Limits « Current USCIS Service Center Processing Times: Vermont Service Center: Standard processing: 4 – 8 weeks Premium processing: 9 – 10 days California […]

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USCIS Has Officially Raised Premium Processing to $2500 EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 19, 2020… and an update on National Interest Waivers while we’re at it.

Friday, October 16th, 2020

The Screaming Demon Pumpkin and his festering goblins of anal carbuncles JUST announced TODAY that it was raising the premium processing fee from $1440 to $2500 effective this Monday, October 19, 2020. Any petitions postmarked after October 19, 2020 will be returned if they do not have the higher fee. Whilst I expect this to […]

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USCIS Furlough-Nado UPDATE!

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

GOOD NEWS: USCIS has agreed to call off its planned furlough of 13,500 employees which had been scheduled for this weekend. BAD NEWS: In exchange for this, the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously agreed to let USCIS raise the premium processing fee from $1440 to $2500 for O and P petitions and cancel the […]

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TODAY’S USCIS FORECAST: A Storm of Travel Ban Issues with a Cold Blast of COVID-based RFEs, and a Looming Furlough-Nado!

Saturday, August 22nd, 2020

I. Consulates Are Open, But Now Refusing To Issue Visas To Applicants Who Have Been In Certain Countries For artists who have been approved for visas, but have been waiting months to apply for them at a U.S. Consulate, many U.S. Consulates have re-opened and are beginning to issue visas. But not so fast…there continues […]

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USCIS May Be Coming After Unemployed Foreign Artists

Thursday, July 30th, 2020

We have seen two Requests for Evidence (RFE) this week for foreign artists who are currently in the U.S. with O-1 classification (both of whom have been previously approved for O-1 classification multiple times) and who filed new O-1 petitions to extend their status and remain in the U.S. In each case, neither artist has […]

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Trump Punishes Students For Taking On-Line Classes

Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

Last night, July 6, 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that all F-1 (student) visa holders attending schools that have decided to operate entirely on-line for the fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic will not be permitted to take a full online course load and remain in the U.S., forcing schools and […]

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U.S. Artist Visa Updates as of April 5, 2019

Friday, April 5th, 2019

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Most of you are aware by now that in fall 2018 a number of significant policy and procedural changes were imposed on the already exasperating process of obtaining U.S. artist visas. No surprisingly, these changes were the work of Donald Trump, who is also known by many other names: Cheeto-In-Chief, Trumpty […]

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THE ARTIST VISA UPDATE FROM HELL as of July 17, 2018

Tuesday, July 17th, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq., Robyn Guilliams, Esq., and Christopher Dowley, Esq. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer…because we are just about the ruin it. So be prepared for some serious sunburn, chiggers, sand fleas, and food poisoning as we give you the latest updates:     I.    NEW USCIS POLICY ALLOWS VISA PETITIONS […]

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SOME CANTANKEROUS MUSINGS ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO SPEED UP USCIS INCOMPETENCY

Thursday, March 1st, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. For those of you who are unaware, on February 28, 2018 U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), both former chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have introduced the Arts Require Timely Service Act (ARTS Act); a bill that would require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide […]

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CAN A U.S. ORCHESTRA REFUSE TO PAY A NON-U.S. MUSICIAN?

Tuesday, February 27th, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Dear Law and Disorder: I am a musician on an O-1 visa that my agent got for me. It covers multiple engagements. Last September, I was hired to be a section musician with an orchestra. They have been paying me up until now, but now they are saying that legally they […]

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