The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the Department of State and is used to determine when a sponsored foreign national can submit the final step of the green card process, or if already pending, when the final step can be adjudicated. Below is a summary of the December Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month.
Continue Reading December 2023 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 and EB-3 China Advance 3 Weeks; No Movement in Other Categories
November 2023 Visa Bulletin – Red Light for All Categories Except EB-2 All Other Countries
The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the Department of State and is used to determine when a sponsored foreign national can submit the final step of the green card process, or if already pending, when the final step can be adjudicated. Below is a summary of the November Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month.
Continue Reading November 2023 Visa Bulletin – Red Light for All Categories Except EB-2 All Other Countries
September 2023 Visa Bulletin – Small Advances in EB-3 China and EB-2 All Other Countries; Other EB Categories in Holding Pattern Through Fiscal Year End
The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the Department of State and is used to determine when a sponsored foreign national can submit the final step of the green card process, or if already pending, when the final step can be adjudicated.
Below is a summary of the September Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month.
Continue Reading September 2023 Visa Bulletin – Small Advances in EB-3 China and EB-2 All Other Countries; Other EB Categories in Holding Pattern Through Fiscal Year End
State Department To Resume Domestic Visa Issuance After Almost Two Decades
Seasoned business immigration attorneys recall “visa revalidation” with great fondness. It is hard to imagine now, with visa appointment backlogs of months and even years at U.S. consulates all over the world, but it was once possible to send a passport to the Department of State’s Revalidation Division in St. Louis, Missouri, along with a few simple supporting documents, and within 10 to 12 weeks, get the passport back with a renewed visa in it. Those were the days!
Continue Reading State Department To Resume Domestic Visa Issuance After Almost Two Decades
USCIS To Expand Premium Processing Service Over Next Several Years
A new rule, “Implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act,” published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2022, will open the popular USCIS “premium processing” service to new categories of immigration filings that are currently subject to extraordinarily long backlogs. USCIS will roll out the expansions in stages.
Continue Reading USCIS To Expand Premium Processing Service Over Next Several Years
USCIS Updates Policy Manual for E/L Spouses’ Work Authorization Documents
In the newest sequel to the Shergill v. Mayorkas settlement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has now updated its Policy Manual to address documents that E and L nonimmigrant spouses may show their employers to prove their work eligibility.
Continue Reading USCIS Updates Policy Manual for E/L Spouses’ Work Authorization Documents
USCIS Settles Major Federal Lawsuit: Good News for E, H and L Spouses
On November 12, 2021, in settling a federal lawsuit pending since March, US Citizenship & Immigration Services agreed to two significant changes that will have a major impact on the lives of nonimmigrant workers and their families in the US.
Continue Reading USCIS Settles Major Federal Lawsuit: Good News for E, H and L Spouses
US Opens Flights to Fully Vaccinated Travelers – What Does It Mean for You and Your Family?
As we previously reported, President Biden is rescinding the international travel restrictions that have drastically hindered US business and tourist travel for almost 2 years. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 8, 2021, travelers will no longer need a valid National Interest Exception if they have been in China, Iran, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, or India within the past 14 days. Instead, they – and all air travelers to the US, with some very limited exceptions – will have to prove they are “fully vaccinated” before boarding a US-bound flight.
Continue Reading US Opens Flights to Fully Vaccinated Travelers – What Does It Mean for You and Your Family?
US To Admit Fully Vaccinated Travelers Without NIEs Starting November 8
On October 15, the White House and State Department announced that, beginning November 8, foreign travelers may board US-bound flights or cross US land borders without first obtaining National Interest Exceptions, as long as they can prove they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Continue Reading US To Admit Fully Vaccinated Travelers Without NIEs Starting November 8
USCIS Almost Doubles Premium Processing Fee With Less Than One Business Day’s Notice to Employers
In a move reflective of the agency’s current approach to rulemaking and policy changes, US Citizenship and Immigration Services has provided less than one business day’s notice that it is almost doubling the popular “premium processing” fee that allows US employers to receive decisions on their petitions to sponsor foreign workers in a matter of days, instead of waiting the many months these petitions currently take to be processed at USCIS without the premium fee.
Continue Reading USCIS Almost Doubles Premium Processing Fee With Less Than One Business Day’s Notice to Employers