On Monday, September 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of State (DOS), working in close collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced publicly that all available immigrant visas in the...more
The U.S. State Department and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced several significant updates relating to the 2025 Diversity Lottery Program and the Temporary Protected Status extension...more
At the beginning of each federal fiscal year (October), the Department of State conducts a lottery called the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. If a person is selected, they are eligible to submit an application for permanent...more
The Immigration and Nationality Act delegates authority to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to decide whether to parole a foreign person into the United States. Parole is a discretionary remedy decided on a...more
J-1 exchange visitors who received graduate medical education or training in the U.S. are subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This...more
The U.S. Department of State recently released its October 2020 Visa Bulletin reflecting an all-time high allocation of approximately 261,500 employment-based immigrant visas and signaling an unusually quick advancement of...more
USCIS Announces Implementation of Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool - After several months of vetting public commentary, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will roll out its H-1B electronic...more
I. DOS Announces 2018 Diversity Lottery - The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) just released its instructions for the DV-2018 Diversity Visa (DV-2018) lottery. The registration period begins on Tuesday, October 4,...more
Action Item: The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”), in coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), has announced that it has revised “the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants...more
The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and the Department of State (“DOS”) have exercised their shared authority and collaborated in the development of a policy expanding the definitions of “mother” and...more