Ryan Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101-3034
206.464.4224
Ryan Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101-3034
206.464.4224

Ryan Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101-3034
206.464.4224

News & Articles

USCIS Resumes Deference to Prior Approvals

Published on April 27, 2021

USCIS announced today that the agency is once again providing deference to prior determinations for extension requests with no material change! This policy is in accordance with long-standing guidance issued by the agency in 2004, but rescinded in 2017. This is a major step towards addressing the current case backlogs in the system right now.

According to USCIS today: USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual instructing officers to give deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension requests involving the same parties and facts unless there was a material error, material change, or new material facts.

Please contact the Immigration Attorneys at Ryan Swanson if you have any questions.

Cody Nunn can be reached at [email protected].
Amy Royalty can be reached at [email protected].
Jen Chen can be reached at [email protected].
Marsha Mavunkel can be reached at [email protected].
Janet Cheetham can be reached at [email protected].
Joel Paget can be reached at [email protected].

Visit our blog to stay up to date on all the latest immigration developments and alerts.






This message has been released by the Immigration Group at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC to advise of recent developments in the law. Because each situation is different, this information is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice on any specific facts and circumstances. Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC is a full-service law firm located in Seattle, Washington.

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