This week, US Citizenship and Immigration Services advised its officers to “apply the same level of scrutiny” to extension requests for the H-1B visa, among other sought-after visas. CNN reported officers are instructed to review requests for renewal as thoroughly as they would initial visa applications. The directive rescinds the previous guidance, which gave “deference” to previously approved visas as long as the key elements were unchanged and there was no evidence of a material error or fraud related to the prior determination. Immigration attorney Chris Wright of The Wright Law Firm told CNNMoney that it fits a broader pattern: “It seems clear that USCIS have been instructed to push back wherever they can ...” he said, noting that “the prevailing attitude seems to be, ‘How might we be able to deny this petition?’”