Demystifying Immigration Law
WHAT IS THE DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY? The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (“DV Program” or “DV-2025 Program”) is a government lottery program that provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas (aka green cards) to persons from...more
The first installment in this series discussing the International Entrepreneur Parole (IEP) program identified the challenge and a potential solution for foreign entrepreneurs to legally enter the United States to develop a...more
USCIS is extending the validity of conditional permanent residence cards, or green cards, for 48 months beyond the card’s expiration date. The move is in response to the long processing delays for those filing petitions to...more
On January 23, 2023, USCIS announced an extension of the validity of permanent resident cards (“green cards”) to accommodate current processing times for forms I-829 and I-751. As a result, new receipt notices will be issued...more
Due to long processing delays, USCIS is extending the validity of green cards for 24 months for legal permanent residents who have filed a Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Residence Card. USCIS is doing this in...more
As Fiscal Year 2022 comes to a close, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) signaled it has used nearly all available employment-based immigrant visas for the fiscal year and will exhaust the supply of visas by the...more
Beginning October 1, 2021, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all applicants applying for lawful permanent residence (i.e. green card) with some exceptions. ...more
On August 24, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new policy that will require foreign nationals applying for a U.S. permanent resident card (green card) to be fully vaccinated against...more
As hospitals and medical centers continue to face challenges in staffing during the pandemic, the struggle is heightened to find and hire sufficient numbers of registered professional nurses. In the rural and medically...more
Updates to USCIS Policy on New Forms, Premium Processing, and Filing Fee Increases Take Effect on October 2, 2020 - As previously reported in Epstein Becker Green’s August 2020 Immigration Alert, U.S. Citizenship and...more
Although technically part of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) since July 1, 1997, Hong Kong has had special status recognition from the US government. This has meant it is treated more favorably for certain immigration...more
The US Supreme Court ruled on January 27 that the administration can begin to implement the public charge rule while the issue is still being litigated in the federal court system. ...more
Hiring the best talent can maximize the success of your company. Sometimes that means hiring a foreign national on a work visa. We prepared this booklet to help you navigate the complex U.S. employment-based visa options....more
I guess it is not a surprise, there was another information leak. This time the leak was from USCIS, perhaps an accident or perhaps not. Is is true or is it fake news that a regulation would be proposed limiting, at least in...more
At the end of the 2016 calendar year, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) published a welcome precedent decision, Matter of Dhanasar, 26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016). In this case, the AAO has significantly revised the...more
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed increasing the fees that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) charges for certain immigration and naturalization filings. The proposal...more
A new category of “filing” cutoff dates has been introduced to allow for earlier filing of adjustment of status applications and immigrant visa applications. The US Department of State (DOS) has released its October 2015...more
Overview - I have written a few articles regarding the over-promotion of the EB-5 visa program from the standpoint that frequently the foreign investor’s desire for a Green Card is over-zealous before considering all of...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
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced earlier this week that, pursuant to a published regulation effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending...more
In This Presentation: - Government Agencies Involved - Terms & Definitions - U.S. Citizens - Lawful Permanent Residents (Immigrants or “Green Card” Holders) - Paths to Permanent Residency -...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, beginning February 1, 2013, the agency will collect a $165 Immigrant Visa Department of Homeland Security Domestic Processing Fee (USCIS Immigrant Fee)...more