Ian Wagreich Comments on Decision by USCIS to Restore Faster Visa Extensions Reviews

Hinshaw partner Ian Wagreich was quoted in a Law360 story titled "USCIS Restores Policy for Faster Visa Extension Reviews." The story reported on an announcement by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it would roll back Trump administration policy and once again defer to its own eligibility determinations in reviewing immigration visa status extension requests. The shift marks a return to USCIS practice established in 2004 that was rescinded in October 2017.

Wagreich welcomed the announcement, calling it "one tiny step towards a more just and sensible immigration system."

"The increase in denials uprooted families for no good reason, some of whom had been here for many years and had successive petitions previously approved by USCIS," Wagreich told Law360. "Companies then had to expend considerable resources and expense to recruit and replace these highly skilled and hard-to-find workers. In my practice, the hostility towards employment-based immigration [led] to a number of clients seeking to hire highly skilled workers in countries other than the U.S. to a degree that I hadn't seen previously."

Read the full article on the Law360 website (subscription may be required)

"USCIS Restores Policy For Faster Visa Extension Reviews" was published by Law360, April 28, 2021.