Waiting for your adjustment of status to be processed and approved can be a painfully slow process. For many people, it can take years and years for their priority date to become current and a visa to be available. Even then, you still have to file your adjustment of status and wait for it to…
USCIS has faced increasing backlogs across the entire agency, and several factors have made these backlogs even worse in recent years. The immigration policies of the prior administration created the “invisible wall” of bureaucratic processing delays for an agency that was already mismanaging its funds. The current pandemic, along with lack of resources, have exacerbated…
Applications for permanent residency must include a lot of documentation. USCIS and Department of State require documentation of your birth. Ideally, this is achieved by submitting your birth certificate with your application. A birth certificate establishes the applicant’s country of citizenship and familial relationships, which helps to show eligibility for permanent residency. This also helps…
On January 21, 2022, the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced new policies with the goal of attracting and retaining more STEM talent to the US. Below is an explanation of the key changes and clarifications. F-1 OPT/STEM OPT Extensions The Department of Homeland Security published a notice on the Federal Register announcing their…
H-1B Reform With no increase in US population growth in sight, reforms that help the H-1B visa program and other employment immigration run smoothly and efficiently are vital to the US economy. The Department of Homeland Security’s 2022 regulatory agenda includes proposed amendments to its regulations that govern the H-1B specialty occupation and F-1 student…
H-1B non-immigrant visas enable workers from outside of the United States to work for an employer within the country. H-1B visas are specifically for workers whose career is specialized, requiring a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent). While H-1B workers are not lawful permanent residents or citizens, they are still entitled to certain benefits provided by employers….
There are three agencies that comprise the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may have dealt with one or more of these agencies as an immigrant, an employer, a family member, or an educator. Your experience…
On June 1, 2021, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of its nationwide initiative, America Works, to address the worker shortage crisis in the U.S. Worker Shortage by the Numbers How bad is the worker shortage? The Chamber released a report that contains statistics pointing to the scale of the economic crisis. Specifically:…
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly slowed down the United States immigration process. Not only are consulates and embassies short-staffed, but vaccinations have not yet reached certain populations, making travel difficult. Visa processing times are still compromised. Because of continued COVID-19 precautions and limited resources, U.S. embassies and other consular posts are operating on reduced staffing….
On Wednesday, June 9, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the most recent policy updates to the USCIS Policy Manual. Specifically, the updates are intended to improve the following immigration procedures: expedited processing; request for evidence (RFE) and notice of intent to deny (NOID); and employment authorization documents (EADs). This is part of…