Bloomberg BNA White Paper: USCIS Delivers One-Two Punch With New Policy Guidance

Bloomberg White Paper – Xavier Francis

On July 13, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that will give officers “full discretion” to deny petitions and applications for immigration status/benefits on first review. Although USCIS maintains that the memo intends to target frivolous claims for immigration benefits, the sudden shift in policy remains unsettling to stakeholders who have witnessed a significant uptick in Requests for Evidence (RFE) over the past year. The July 13th memo complements an earlier memo issued on June 28, 2018, which broadens the agency’s enforcement capabilities and expands the kinds of immigration cases that are subject to removal proceedings.

In this white paper, published in Bloomberg BNA, Erickson Immigration Group attorney Xavier Francis explains the various scenarios in this policy change, what it could mean, and how stakeholders and those affected can prepare.