New H-1B concern: Immigration authorities seeking home addresses and biometrics, all you need to know
Immigration attorneys are currently in a spot of worry after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun requesting for home address details and biometric data from H-1B visa applicants, something that was not the case until sometime ago. The timing of this issue coincides with the enhanced enforcement clampdowns by the Trump administration, which goes on to create major issues for international students studying in over 240 colleges and universities in the United States.
According to a recent Forbes report, Immigration officials are filing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) in H-1B visa cases, which needs the applicants to submit their personal data, including their home address as well as their biometrics, and this has raised questions about the federal agency's intent behind all of it.
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Immigration attorneys in the United States who represent foreign employees and workers have admitted to receiving these RFEs wherein this kind of data was requested from the applicants for the granting of the visa.
Immigration attorney Vic Goel of Goel & Anderson was quoted telling Forbes, "This is a very unusual case since biometrics are not usually required for these kinds of visa application cases." The nature of the RFEs are also not adequately being able to explain the reason or nature behind seeking such information, which is creating quite a bit of confusion for foreign employers as well as their immigration attorneys in the United States.
"I do not recommend responding directly to these Requests for Evidence (RFEs) issued by the US immigration authorities", said Goel and insisted instead upon citing the 8 CFR 103.2(b)(16)(i) which says that the USCIS needs to disclose the any unusual information being used to come to a decision during the visa application process.
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