As hospitals and medical centers continue to face enormous challenges in staffing, employers are looking for alternatives to meet these seemingly unfillable positions. The high demand for foreign nurses has contributed to a...more
In June 2024, the Biden Administration announced several immigration actions using the authority of the executive branch. Within a political landscape of stalemate on virtually all things immigration, it has not been unusual...more
Each month, federal immigration authorities publish a list of dates informing immigrant visa applicants when they should expect to be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to government officials. This...more
On January 31, 2024, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust filing fees for most petitions and applications. The new fees take effect for petitions and applications filed...more
Last January I posted about "An Unwelcome Update to Start 2023: USCIS Proposing Rule to Raise Filing Fees; Set Specific Filing Fees for Different Types of I-129 Filings". That unwelcome proposal to start 2023 may become an...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State have not indicated significant advancement in the priority dates for employer-based immigrant petitions, continuing the fiscal year (FY) 2024...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Dates for Filing Chart in February 2024, reflecting no movement. The Final Action Chart reflects minimal advancement....more
Managing immigration cases can be a complex and time-consuming process. With numerous documents, forms, deadlines, and client communication to juggle, relying on traditional methods like email and spreadsheets fall short....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State have significant volumes of adjustment of status and immigrant visa applications in their inventories, limiting the supply of available...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the expansion of the online myProgress tool to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and Form I-821, Application for...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Dates for Filing Chart in December 2023. The US Department of State Visa Bulletin for December 2023 reflects no advancement in priority date cutoff dates in the...more
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs’ August 2023 Visa Bulletin illustrates a continued trend of significant backlogs in the employment-based immigrant visa process....more
On March 31, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had removed the requirement that a civil surgeon’s signature on Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination...more
On March 31, 2023, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major change to a longstanding practice in its Policy Manual: The 60-day rule is being permanently suspended....more
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has released the Visa Bulletin for April 2023. The new Visa Bulletin reflects an ongoing trend of backlogs and slowdowns in the visa process, in stark contrast to the...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that it will accept employment-based I-485, adjustment of status applications, based on the U.S. Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin’s “Dates for Filing”...more