Adviser's Manual 360 News Feed

As of 12:01AM ET on June 12, 2022, CDC will no longer require air passengers traveling from a foreign country to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board their flight. Nonimmigrants entering the United States will, however, still be subject to the requirement to be fully vaccinated with an acceptable COVID-19 vaccine.

The Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) will host a two-hour webinar from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time on June 21, 2022, covering implementation of the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. OFLC will begin using the 2018 SOC system on July 1, 2022, in place of the 2010 SOC system.

On June 7, 2022, DHS designated Cameroon for F-1 Special Student Relief (SSR), effective June 7, 2022 until December 7, 2023. DHS also designated Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

In Broadcast Message 2205-03: ICE Clarifies Continuation of March 2020 Guidance for the 2022-23 Academic Year (May 31, 2022), SEVP "reissued" its April 18, 2022 COVID guidance, but "clarified" that "Students who enrolled after March 9, 2020, must adhere to SEVP's existing regulations regarding online learning, found at 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(6)." That statement challenges the practice (based on language that remains unchanged in SEVP Broadcast Messages and FAQs) of offering hybrid programs of study to new and Initial students who were not enrolled on March 9, 2020.

USCIS' Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students page affirms the 50% ratio that USCIS applies in OPT adjudications when counting part-time pre-completion OPT.

Starting May 31, 2022, USCIS will not accept a single, combined fee payment when an applicant or petitioner files Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, with another form; the Form I-907 fee must be paid separately from other filing fees. Also, starting July 1, 2022, USCIS will only accept the 05/31/22 edition of the form.

USCIS announced a limited, conditional expansion of premium processing for two types of I-140 petitions that are otherwise ineligible for premium processing.

On May 20, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published notices detailing Special Student Relief (SSR) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) benefits for certain citizens of Afghanistan.

Effective May 4, 2022, a USCIS temporary final rule expands from 180 to 540 days the automatic extension of work authorization for certain applicants whose employment authorization document (EAD) extension applications remain pending after their prior EAD expires. F-1 student EAD applications, which were not included in the 2017 rule, continue to be ineligible for this benefit.

In an April 22, 2022 update to its "Current Program" Exchange Visitor Program COVID-19 FAQs, BridgeUSA extended its general COVID-19 accommodations through June 30, 2023, still conditioned on the requirement that "new exchange visitors can participate in programs only if their host organizations (e.g., schools or businesses) have reinstated partial to full in-person activities." A new FAQ also continues to allow telework in the College/University Student (Academic Training and Student Intern), Research Scholar, Short Term Scholar, Intern, and Trainee categories, but institutes a limit "of one to two telework days per week."