As we discussed in a recent blog “News Flash: Limited Travel from India Due to COVID-19,” in light of the public health conditions in the Republic of India and the recommendations of the CDC, President Biden issued a proclamation on May 4, 2021, limiting the ability of nonimmigrants to enter the U.S. That proclamation will…
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…
Congress has failed to reauthorize the EB-5 regional center program, meaning the program has expired on June 30, 2021. With this expiration comes a plethora of questions and uncertainty for individuals who are seeking or who currently hold a green card based on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Why Did the EB-5 Program Expire? Originally,…
On June 23, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will accept certain resubmitted H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2021. This will apply only to H-1B petitions which were rejected or administratively closed due to the fact that the requested start date listed in the petition was after October 1, 2020. The…
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 July 2021 Visa Bulletin sheds some light on the advancement of Final Action Dates. NOTE: The monthly YouTube livestream “Chats with Charlie” in which Charles Oppenheim discusses the visa bulletin for the upcoming month was scheduled for June 18, 2021. As of the publication of this blog, that livestream has not yet been made…
Marriage is a celebration of love, family, and the coming together of two people excited to share their life with each other. Navigating marriage when it comes to immigration law can make this happy time a bit more complicated. But with the help of a skilled immigration attorney and the most up-to-date knowledge about the…
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….
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin provides vital information to those seeking to file an immigrant visa petition. Each month, a bulletin is made available to the public via the Travel.State.Gov website. It summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during that month for “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications.” This serves as an indicator of…
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…