The U.S. Department of State has announced that annual visa limits for fiscal year (FY) 2024 have been reached for the following employment-based categories: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EW (other workers), EB-4, and EB-5 unreserved....more
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
Over the past several months, the Department of State (DOS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have announced additional backlogs in the permanent residence (Green Card) quota system. These additional backlogs have...more
The May 2023 Visa Bulletin recently published by the U.S. Department of State, brought some unwelcome news for U.S. employers seeking to sponsor foreign nationals for permanent residency through the employment-based green...more
On December 12, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would automatically extend the validity of permanent resident cards (green cards) for lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who have...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 U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Office of Public Affairs issued a press release two days ago, October 19, 2021, announcing a settlement with Facebook involving their recruiting practices to qualify foreign nationals...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently added vaccination against COVID-19 to its list of required vaccinations for individuals seeking lawful permanent resident status - colloquially known as...more
February 24, 2021, President Biden posted his Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States. This new proclamation revokes the ones issued under the previous administration which suspended the...more
Some 50,000 foreign nationals with approved Lawful Permanent Residency (Green Card) applications have been waiting for months to receive their cards, which provide proof of lawful permanent resident status. Without these...more
On August 3, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order (“EO”) entitled “Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices With the Interests of American Workers.” Perhaps by design, it signals widespread review of the...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
Receiving free or reduced school breakfasts or lunches would not render immigrant children ineligible for green cards or other immigration benefits, despite changes to longstanding guidance on the public charge of...more
On August 14, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final version of its public charge rule in the Federal Register. According to a statement by DHS, the rule is intended to formalize the way in which...more
The Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) sets forth preference classes to which the yearly allotment of 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas (or “green cards”) are allocated. A new yearly allotment of...more
On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Trump administration announced the upcoming publication of a proposed rule designed to redefine a status known as “public charge” — a category used to determine whether someone seeking...more
More than 10 days have passed since the election results were revealed, and the United States now has a businessman as its president-elect ready to take office on January 20, 2017. However, despite his business background, it...more
I was a Spanish and Portuguese major at the United States Military Academy a long time ago. In those days, I saw my future as five years of military services and then on to graduate school to get a degree in Latin American...more
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement agreement with a large clothing retailer to resolve claims that the company discriminated against a non-U.S. citizen in violation of the federal...more
Created by the Immigration Act of 1990, the Immigrant Investor Program, more commonly referred to as the EB-5 program, offers foreign investors an opportunity to secure permanent residency in the United States by making a...more
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act currently allocates 10,000 “EB-5” immigrant visas per year to qualified individuals seeking Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status - also known as a “green card” - on the basis of...more