On January 22, 2025, USCIS posted an alert pertaining to the I-693 immigration medical exam required for most individuals applying to become lawful permanent residents. USCIS indicates that they now “waive[s] any and all...more
Overview Effective January 22, 2025, USCIS will no longer require Adjustment of Status applicants to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination as part of the Adjustment of Status process. USCIS will waive all requirements that Adjustment...more
The election results are in and many are wondering what to expect for business employment immigration. The news is full of stories about mass deportations, but scant on information about those legally in the U.S. working in...more
The Department of State released the December 2024 Visa Bulletin and USCIS will continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the more advanced Dates for Filing chart. All employment-based...more
In an effort to address the ongoing Employment Authorization Document (more commonly known as an “EAD”) processing backlog, USCIS recently announced it would lengthen the maximum validity period for certain EAD categories to...more
On January 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached a settlement in Edakunni v. Mayorkas. As a result of the settlement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to resume its...more
On January 4, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a proposed rule to increase fees for most immigration benefit requests. If implemented, employers will pay significantly more for...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made a critical update that, as of July 1, 2022, allows some Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders to overcome inadmissibility issues and become eligible for...more
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows immigrant survivors of domestic violence to self-petition for legal status in the United States without relying on their abusive U.S. citizen spouses to sponsor their adjustment of...more
In the May 2021 Visa Bulletin, the EB-1 priority date cutoff dates remain current for all classifications, and EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff dates including China and India show minimal advancement. ...more
On December 2, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld preliminary injunctions blocking USCIS from enforcing the “new” Public Charge Rule in 18 states and the District of Columbia. The Court found the rule was...more
In our continuing series of reports, Charles (“Charlie”) Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, shares his most recent analysis of current trends and future projections for the...more
Advance Parole allows an individual to travel internationally during the pendency of an adjustment of status (AOS) application. Those individuals who hold a valid H or L visa also have the option of using that visa to travel...more
Cutoff dates for EB-3 Philippines available, but backlogged to 2004. Cutoff dates for EB-3 China backlogged to 2004, while cutoff dates for Mexico and the rest of the world advance by three and a half months. Cutoff dates for...more
Bulletin shows no movement of cutoff dates in EB-2 or EB-3 India categories and continued advancement of the EB-3 China category ahead of the EB-2 China category. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released its...more
Bulletin shows minor to moderate advancement of cutoff dates in all EB-2 and EB-3 categories, with the exception of EB-2 India, which will remain unchanged. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released its March...more
Bulletin shows no movement of cutoff dates in the EB-2 and EB-3 India categories; the cutoff dates in the EB-2 and EB-3 China categories show minor forward movement with EB-3 China continuing to move ahead of EB-2 China. ...more
Bulletin shows no movement of cutoff dates for individuals born in India in the EB-2 and EB-3 preference categories; the cutoff date for individuals born in China in the EB-3 category continues to move ahead of the EB-2...more
Department of State’s Visa Office comments on demand in the employment-based immigrant visa categories, indicating an early retrogression of the cutoff date for EB-2 India. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control...more
Bulletin shows severe retrogression of the cutoff date for individuals born in India in the employment-based second preference category and continued advancement of the cutoff date for individuals born in China in the...more
There is no significant movement in cutoff dates in the employment-based categories; spouses and children of permanent resident family-based sponsors no longer remain current. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has...more
EB-3 category for individuals from most countries advances significantly, and EB-2 category for individuals from India advances by five-and-a-half months. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released its September...more
EB-2 category for individuals chargeable to India advances by more than three years. ...more