On June 18, 2019, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it swore in Jean King as the new chief administrative law judge in the EOIR’s Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer. The investiture ceremony was presided over by the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, Robin Stutman.
On June 21, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is extending the grace period for the previous edition of the Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status.
On June 17, 2019, the New York State Senate passed legislation allowing noncitizens who are in the United States without legal authorization to obtain New York State driver’s licenses. The bill passed the New York State Senate by a vote of 33-29 and, having already passed the New York State Assembly, now heads to Governor Andrew Cuomo for his signature. Governor Cuomo had initially stated that he would veto the bill without assurances from the New York Attorney General’s Office that the Federal government would not be able to subpoena or access information about license holders who are in the country illegally. After receiving assurances from New York Attorney General Letitia James, Governor Cuomo stated that he would sign the bill into law.
On June 17, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is implementing a national strategy to decrease differences in processing times based on the location of processing for the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
On June 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that the government of Guyana has confirmed that it will continue to process certain adoption cases under the non-Hague Convention process in effect prior to June 1, 2019.
On June 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released a joint declaration between the United States and Mexico on stemming the flow of migrants across the United States border from Mexico. The provisions of the declaration were agreed upon after negotiations between the United States and Mexican governments.
On June 3, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) determined it will not be able to process intercountry adoptions from Guyana initiated on or after June 1, 2019.
On June 10, 2019, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, announced that Ken Cuccinelli will serve as the new acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), effective immediately.
On June 10, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began premium processing all remaining H1B petitions subject to the FY 2020 H1B cap.
